Not one, but two
by Ivy Applewhite
Summary: A rat's mistake changes Harry's life. Finally he is reunited with his godfather, but what happens when there is an addition to their family? HP, SB and OC. Warning: see ch 1
1. Chapter 1

Good evening, everyone!

I know I've been a royal idiot and not updated 'Letting Him Go' in far too long, but I just haven't been able to.

And now, I found some time to write, and rather than continue on that I began a new story which has been brewing in my head for a while.

I don't know, really, how I feel about it. I suppose it's all right, but only you can tell me (: Hopefully, if it isn't yet, it'll get better later.

As you may have noticed, I'm in love with stories where Harry is adopted by someone who loves him (or, in Snape's case, grows to love him). So it should come as no surprise that I gave Sirius a turn here. I hope you all accept my way of bringing it about, and that it isn't too... incredible. There will be further explanations later.

Like LHG, this story will most likely contain scenes of corporal punishment, in the form of spankings. I've said it before, but I will stress this again: I do not personally condone in this form of discipline, but it is added for different reasons. In LHG it is simply because it is how I perceive Severus Snape.

In this one, it is more a symbol of imperfection. Sirius was never meant to be a father. He was the godfather, the carefree bachelor. Also, I don't think it is unbelievable that this would've happened in the Harry Potter books. For example, Ron mentions in 'the Prisoner of Azkaban' that his mother 'walloped Fred with her broom'. If this disturbs you, though, either skip it or find another story.

Anyway, I think I've rambled long enough. Please take a look and tell me what you think. Remember: reviews are like cookies: small, delicious and addictive!

Ivy

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><p><em>A window rattling scream, putting the Fat Lady to shame, woke the entire Gryffindor tower one winter night. It came from the first year boys' dorm, and all its occupants, including the boy who'd screamed, bolted out of their beds. Ron Weasley, who was the person who'd uttered the ungodly noise, yelled again, pointing at his bed.<em>

_Harry Potter, best friend of the distraught redhead, opened his mouth in astonishment as Neville, too, began screaming. They could by now hear all other students running out of their dorms in a panic, and it wouldn't be long until the prefects came bursting in._

_The reason for all the commotion was quite obvious: at the foot of Ron's bed, rather than a rat curled up in its sleep, was a greying lump of a man, just waking up and looking around in confusion. Harry had never seen him before, but he felt oddly familiar. _

"_Who the hell are you?" Ron screamed at the man, at the same instant that the door was flung open and Percy stormed inside._

"_Just what are you-" He broke off immediately at seeing the man sitting up on Ron's bed, holding his head as if troubled by a severe headache. His eyes widened, and with a flash he'd got all the children out of the room and cast a body binding spell on the man._

"_Get Professor McGonagall," he instructed firmly to one of the other prefects, who nodded and ran off. "No one enter this room." A seventh year prefect, Lee Mallory, appeared suddenly, dressed already in jeans and a shirt._

"_Percy?" she asked._

"_Somehow a man got into their dorm," he said quickly, facing the girl whose eyes were widening. "I cast a body binding spell and have warded the door. But…" She flicked her wand out and waved four spells over the door._

"_There, that should hopefully keep him occupied for a while," she said. "Have you sent for-"_

"_McGonagall," he replied before she had time to formulate the question. "She will undoubtedly send for the Headmaster."_

"_Good. Now, we need to get the kids out and-"_

"_Can I just ask something?" Harry interjected, having listened to the exchange. Mallory nodded at him, having only noticed he was there. "How could he possibly have got into our dorm?" _

"_We don't know, Harry," replied Percy importantly. _

"_He must've got past the school's protections…" muttered Lee thoughtfully._

"_We should ask the Fat Lady." They all turned around to see Hermione, rubbing her eyes as she approached them through the other people, all trying to get down into the Common Room. They spun around to face her, and she stared right back. "It's obvious, isn't it?" she said in a small voice, wringing her hands in her nightgown._

"_Yes… Of course," said the seventh year girl, slapping her forehead before running downstairs, Percy hot on her heels. Hermione walked up to her friends, frowning at them._

"_Are you all right?"_

"_Sure," Ron replied, though his voice broke and he looked truly stricken at what had happened. Hermione took his hand and smiled a bit._

"_It's our first term here and already crazy things are happening," Harry sighed as they trudged downstairs. "First all this with Nicolas Flamel, and now some strange man in our dorm." He managed to make a good show of not being bothered at all, but was in fact trying to get his heart to calm down. The fact that the man felt familiar did nothing to help his nerves. _

_As they entered the Common Room, the portrait swung open, letting in their Head of House, followed by Lee and Percy. However, before the portrait had time to shut again, the Headmaster slipped in, looking graver than Harry had seen him before._

"_Albus, we must go up immediately," McGonagall said to the Headmaster, who nodded silently. "Prefects, keep all students down here," the Head of House instructed the prefects, who nodded seriously as they watched the two professors hurry up the stairs._

* * *

><p>Harry twirled his quill in his hand as he thought back at the night that had begun the chain of events that would change his life. After they had discovered it was Peter Pettigrew who had been disguised as Scabbers for ten years, a trial had been kicked into action, ultimately leading to Pettigrew being locked away in Azkaban, and Sirius Black being let out. After a rather overwhelming meeting with Dumbledore, Harry had been reunited with his godfather, who had adopted him after three weeks.<p>

Now, it was the first week of the summer holidays, and Harry had just come home to the house in Cambridgeshire that Sirius had bought shortly after his release. During the spring term, Harry had Floo'ed home every weekend to get to spend as much time as possible with his godfather.  
>He was sitting in the library with his school work, though his thoughts were miles away from his Transfiguration essay.<p>

It had been odd, but not at all as hard as he'd thought to get used to having a parent. _A parent_. It felt strange to think, to say. He couldn't actually believe how quickly it had all gone. Once Sirius had been acquitted, it'd taken mere weeks to get the official documents settled and then they moved into the new house, just in time for Christmas. Harry thought back at Christmas day with an embarrassed smile.

_The boy looked shyly back at his godfather, who was standing in the doorway, leaning against the doorframe._

"_Go on Harry, the tree won't bite you," he laughed. Harry blushed slightly and edged closer to the Christmas tree, with presents piled as high as possible under its lush branches. "The one on the bottom left is from Mrs Weasley. Why don't you start with that one?" Harry nodded, relieved that he'd been given some kind of instruction. _

_After getting over the initial nervousness of opening the first present, Harry relaxed, and Sirius came to sit in the armchair, commenting in a quiet voice whenever Harry asked him anything. It was the first Christmas Harry didn't want to end. _

"Aren't you supposed to be working?" Harry jumped about a feet into the air as he was snatched out of his reverie. Sirius just entered the library, smiling his goofy, proud smile, like he often did when he observed his godson. The boy's cheeks coloured; he still wasn't used to his godfather's casual teasing, and was never entirely sure if he was joking or not.

"Sorry, I was just…"

"Harry, it's all right. It's the holidays." Sirius flopped down on one of the other chairs, placing his elbows in the table as he gazed at his godson. "How's it going? All right?" Harry shrugged, scribbling small, black snitches on the corner of the parchment. "Oy, don't do that," Sirius admonished lightly, waving Harry's hand away before vanishing the mess with a flick of his wand. Harry dropped the quill and fidgeted. Sirius frowned, suddenly very aware of his boy's nervous stance. "Harry, what's the matter?" he asked, a worried crease soon decorating his forehead. He rose from the chair and walked around the table, crouching down beside Harry's chair. He placed a comforting hand no the boy's knee and jostled it slightly. "Hey, speak to me, mate." Harry was looking down into his lap, and to Sirius' astonishment, he heard the boy sniffle as a stray tear plinked down in the boy's jeans. Completely ignoring Harry's surprised gasp, Sirius placed his hands under the boy's arms and swiftly lifted him up, carrying him over to the couch and sitting them both down, side by side. Putting an arm around Harry's slight shoulders, he squeezed.

"You have to talk to me, Harry," he said quietly, trying to quench the worry burning his chest. When the child remained stubbornly quiet, Sirius sighed and kissed the top of his head. "All right then. I'll go start making dinner. You can always talk to me." Sirius stood up and left the room, unaware of his godson's longing eyes boring into his neck. Groaning quietly, Harry threw himself back onto the sofa, squeezing his eyes shut. _Harry, you complete baby_, he scolded himself, thoroughly mortified and irritated that he'd started crying in front of his godfather. He didn't want the man to think he was such a baby. He was _eleven_ after all.

It was just that… Things had gone pretty quickly, and after having moved in with Sirius, Harry had heard tons of stories about his parents, as well as been shown picture after picture of them. All the info was so much to take in, and Harry had, for some reason, began missing his parents. It wasn't that he hadn't done before, but now, with Sirius so close, it'd become much more profound, and harder to get away from. He felt down and empty all the time, and didn't know how to tell Sirius. The man had been so great about everything, bought Harry new clothes, books, a Quidditch set, taken him for lunch in Diagon Alley, allowed him to go nuts in Honeydukes. How did he tell that man that he missed his parents? That made it sound as though he wasn't at all grateful to him.

Sighing again, Harry stood and walked over to the table, gathering all his things. His arms laden with parchment, books, quills and ink, he left the library and started the trek upstairs to leave everything in his room. Sirius wasn't particularly strict about anything, but he was adamant that Harry tidied up after himself. Among other things. But, in comparison to the Dursleys, it was nothing worth mentioning.

Just as he dumped the things in a haphazard pile on the floor, Sirius called.

"Harry, dinner!"

"Coming!" He smiled to himself, forgetting, for the moment, his breakdown earlier. He loved having Sirius call him for dinner. It made everything feel wonderfully normal.

Leaving his room, he jogged down the stairs and entered the kitchen, where Sirius was placing plates on the table. He smiled at his godson, who looked nervous. Harry wasn't sure if Sirius would mention what had happened just half an hour earlier. Luckily, though, he said nothing, and Harry sat down.

"Did you get any work done?" he asked pleasantly as Harry poured himself some pumpkin juice.

"A bit," Harry grimaced. Sirius chuckled.

"Well, you have the whole summer. Just don't leave it 'til the last day." Sirius could barely believe how he'd turned into Harry's… father. He didn't much like to think of it that way. Harry was James' boy, and he would never forget that. However, he was, legally, Harry's father, and would make damn sure he didn't disappoint the child.  
>He used to be a carefree young man; a man no one thought would ever grow up. Ten years in Azkaban had, however, made him acutely aware of how fragile life was, and he was all of a sudden a more careful person, especially now that he had another person to care for, someone he was putting before himself. He had not lost his humour and love for teasing, though, which Harry had noticed very quickly.<p>

"I have something I need to talk to you about," Sirius said after a moment, looking thoughtfully at Harry, though he didn't seem to actually see him.

"Yeah?" Harry replied with genuine interest. Sirius looked uncertain of how to begin, poking his salad about his plate.

"I have an old… friend. I have only seen him three times since I was released and he needs somewhere to live." Harry squinted. Not that he wasn't intrigued about this "friend", but was Sirius suggesting he come live with them? As childish as it was, Harry felt rather protective of his godfather, and was reluctant to share his attention with anyone. "He's coming for tea tomorrow, and I would very much like for you to meet him." Harry nodded slowly, scraping his knife along the plate. He suddenly felt his godfather's hand over his, making him stop the screeching. "You'll ruin the plate," Sirius murmured. "His name is Remus Lupin, and we went to school together. He was also a close friend of your father," he added in the same quiet voice. "All right?" Harry hesitated, but then nodded his assent, making Sirius smile widely again. "Thank you."

* * *

><p>Harry sat in the armchair in the parlour, banging his heels against the legs of it. Sirius was upstairs, doing something or other, and his friend should arrive any moment.<p>

They hadn't spoken more of the matter after the previous dinner, and Harry was growing restless. Sirius hadn't exactly said he couldn't leave the parlour, but he had told him to "just relax; Remus will come soon".

All of a sudden, the fire in the fireplace turned a dazzling green and spat out a wizard of perhaps 30 years. Harry stood up and stared at the man. He had sandy hair, faintly blue eyes and a kindly shaped mouth. Dressed in slacks, a shirt and worn robes, he looked decidedly misplaced in the whole and clean parlour.

As the man looked up, he froze and stared in amazement at the boy in front of him. For a moment, he seemed unable to speak, and they just regarded each other with interest and some sadness, in Remus' case.

"Harry," he said eventually, his voice soft and gentle.

"Hi," the boy replied shyly. Just then, Sirius entered the room and smiled at his friend.

"Remus," he greeted, and took the man in an embrace, which Remus returned fiercely. Harry stood there, feeling rather awkward. When the two men released each other, they both turned to the boy. Harry fidgeted under their scrutiny and blushed slightly. Sirius hand landed on his shoulder pulling him into a one-armed hug.

"Harry, this is Remus Lupin," he introduced, and Remus stuck his hand out. Harry shook it carefully.

"Nice to meet you, sir," he mumbled. Remus chuckled.

"Remus will do fine, Harry. And it's very nice to meet you, too." Sirius beckoned them into the kitchen and filled the kettle.

"How do you find Hogwarts?" Remus asked Harry, who looked up in surprise at being addressed by this man he didn't know.

"Oh. It's fun I guess."

"You guess?"

"No it's fun," he replied, smiling apologetically at Remus who rolled his eyes and chuckled. "But this year was a bit strange."

"Yes I heard about the stone." Harry cringed at the mentioning of the stone, and felt Sirius eyes.

"Yeah…" he said, dragging the word into a whopping five syllables.

"Which reminds me," Sirius said, and Harry closed his eyes briefly. _Hell_. "We never finished discussing that." Remus raised an eyebrow at Harry, and glanced over at Sirius. "Later," he muttered to himself and started serving his friend and godson the steaming tea. "Now, how are you, Moony?" he asked.

"I'm just fine, don't fret," Remus said, rolling his eyes in Harry's direction, who giggled appreciatively.

"I am not fretting, Remus," Sirius said indignantly. "But you look pale and drawn, and I am the one just out of prison, not you." Remus winced as Sirius mentioned his decade in hell, but decided not to comment.

"You're fretting Padfoot, just admit it," Remus snorted. Harry watched them both with amusement, enjoying their easy banter.

"Oh shut up," Sirius muttered, and both Remus and Harry laughed. "Watch it," Sirius said, pointing at Harry, but ruined it all by smiling goofily.

"How are _you_?" Remus asked his friend, turning the tables around.

"Spectacular, of course," Sirius answered as if it was a completely stupid question.

"Come on, Padfoot, you've been locked up for ten years," Remus replied solemnly. "You can't convince me that you're _spectacular_." Sirius stirred his tea absentmindedly, and Harry looked at the opposite wall intently, not wanting to be a part of this conversation. He'd never asked Sirius about his time in Azkaban. At first he hadn't dared to, and when his curiosity had begun making itself known he'd remained silent out of tact.

"I… It's all right," he said quietly, sending Remus a look that Harry couldn't decipher. Remus nodded curtly before turning smilingly to Harry.

"So, Harry. Seeker… You must tell me about your games." Harry, pleased for this change of subject, immediately launched into an animated re-enactment of the Quidditch season, to which both adults listened with interest, even though Sirius had heard it all before.

* * *

><p>"All right Harry, bedtime I believe." In the end, Remus had stayed for dinner as well, and then they'd all sat in the living room, talking and playing games.<p>

Harry turned to gaze at his godfather, a look of sheer misery on his young face.

"Sirius…" he said, his voice almost a whine. Remus sat back in his chair, leaning away from the chess board where he and Harry had been playing.

"It's ten o'clock mate. You should've been in bed half an hour ago, should you not?" Harry huffed. "Go on, off you go." Feeling a bit nervous, but ignoring it, Harry said:

"Will you come up and say good night?" Sirius smiled affectionately at the boy.

"Of course I will. You go and get ready, I'll be right up." Harry nodded.

"Good night Remus," he said quietly, offering a small smile.

"Good night Harry. I'll see you soon, I hope." Harry nodded and walked slowly out of the room, barely getting anywhere with each step.

"Harry…" His godfather's voice wasn't quite warning, but Harry took the hint and sped up the stairs.

"Padfoot?" Remus asked as soon as they heard Harry enter his bathroom. Sirius groaned and placed his face in his hands, letting his carefree façade drop. "Sirius, are you sure you're all right?" Remus asked, concerned.

"I'm fine, Moony," Sirius answered in a tired voice. "But I don't know about Harry."

"What do you mean?" he asked, frowning. "He seemed perfectly fine. Then again, this is the first time I've met him since he was a toddler, but he was very polite and talkative."

"Yes, he was fine tonight. But lately… He's been quiet and down. He even started crying yesterday." Remus stared at him in bewilderment.

"Whatever for?"

"I don't know! He won't talk to me!"

"Easy, mate."

"Sorry, sorry…" Sirius shook his head and took a deep breath. "I need to get a grip and figure him out."

"Just be there for him. He's eleven, Sirius, and probably hurting."

"Hurting?" Sirius asked, confused. Remus stared at him as though he was an idiot.

"Of course he's hurting. His parents are dead," he said bitterly, as though the words pained him, which they most certainly did.

"But surely he isn't…" And then it finally hit Sirius. He deflated and slumped in his chair, staring with wide eyes into space. "How could I have been so stupid…" He suddenly recalled the pained smiles Harry had displayed when Sirius had told him stories of Lily and James. He'd asked for them, yes, but Sirius hadn't thought… He'd seemed to happy… "Oh Moony, I've royally botched this up," he whimpered, pressing his knuckles into his forehead.

"No you haven't. I doubt Harry blames you for it. I just think he's afraid of talking to you about it. After all, he's only known you a few months."

"Please don't… He should've always known me. And you. And he shouldn't be living with me, but with his mum and dad. _Bloody_ hell…"

"Don't do this to yourself," Remus said sharply, jabbing his finger in Sirius' direction. "He's here now, and that's all that matters. You take care of him, or I'll rip you to pieces." Sirius smiled reluctantly. "Now what's this about the stone?" Sirius laughed grimly.

"Nearly gave me a heart attack."

"Understandable. How did you go about it?"

"I didn't, really. I didn't want to ruin his first holiday here…" Remus rolled his eyes.

"So you let him get away with it? Smart move," he commented sarcastically.

"No, I won't," Sirius sighed, for what felt like the millionth time that day. "I'm going to talk to him about it tomorrow."

"Sirius Black, talking to a child about his misbehaviour. May I watch?" He threw a pillow at the werewolf. "But honestly. How are you feeling about raising a child?" Sirius thought for a moment.

"It's frightening. But it feels… good. Of course. Harry's a wonderful boy," he smiled. "But I have realised that he is a true Gryffindor."

"Courageous?"

"Reckless," Sirius corrected. Remus laughed heartily.

"I'm sure you'll be able to keep him in line," he said mirthfully. Sirius snorted, as if he seriously doubted that assessment, but didn't say anything.

"I'd best go and tuck him in," Sirius said, rising.

"Yes, I should leave."

"Why don't you stay?" Remus frowned. "I know you have nowhere permanent to live, Moony, so no theatrics now. You can stay here."

"Sirius-"

"Shush."

"All right then. But I want to pay you."

"Don't even think about it," Sirius warned in a voice usually reserved for his rambunctious godson.

"Please-"

"Lah-lah-laaaaah!" Sirius sang, holding his hands over his ears. Remus sighed and shook his head.

"Whatever."

"Good," Sirius smiled. Go make some tea, I'll be down soon." With that he left the parlour and headed up to his godson's room.

Harry was sitting on his bed, dressed in his pyjamas, his legs crossed, leafing through a book.

"Hi, mate," Sirius said softly and Harry looked up.

"'Ello," he replied, closing the book and placing it on the bedside table.

"You okay?" Harry nodded, removing his glasses and then crawling under the duvet. "Remus will be staying here, all right?" Harry nodded again, not wanting to comment. "And you and I will be talking about the stone tomorrow, got it?" he added with raised eyebrows. Harry blushed and nodded for the third time. Sirius tapped his cheek. "A verbal answer, please."

"Yes," the boy said quietly.

"Good." He pushed the boy down playfully and kissed his forehead. "Good night, sprog," he said, stroking the jet black hair away from his eyes. Harry smiled.

"Night, Sirius." The older man turned the light off and walked out, leaving the door open a few inches. It felt almost difficult to leave Harry each night when he went to sleep, and he unwillingly turned his back on the boy's room and re-joined Remus.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello again! Speedy update, no? It's always like this in the beginning, though.**

**I will now focus on chapter 9 for LHG. I don't know if anyone here has read that, but you might want to check it out, even though it is a bit different from this.**

**I hope I haven't disappointed anyone... That is always my fear with fan fiction. Harry Potter is wonderful, but hardcore fans are scary. I don't know if I am one myself. I certainly love the books and films more than I thought possible...**

**Anyway, please enjoy, and do review!**

**Ivy**

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><p>"You look like you could use another cuppa," Remus said decisively, frowning at Sirius dejected slump. He rose and headed for the kitchen.<p>

"I'm fine…" came the muffled response after a moment, but Remus merely snorted as he collected the teabags and filled the kettle again. When the water was boiling and the fragrant bags placed in the teapot, he returned to the living room, prodding Sirius' ribs.

"Where is the Sirius I knew, eh?" he asked crisply. "You were the one always pulling the rest of us out of our misery, were you not?"

"Spare me the lecture, Moony," Sirius grumbled, still not lifting his head.

"I think not," he replied with pursed lips. "I believe you are being a complete git and I intend to have you snap out of it."

"Thanks, that makes me feel loads better." Losing his patience, Remus cuffed his friend, forcing him to look up. "What the hell was that for?"

"You are being an idiot, Padfoot," Remus said in a quiet, stern voice. "Stop wallowing in such self-pity and get a grip. You have a boy upstairs who is hurting, and you are doing nothing to help it."

"Is this you comforting me? Because I'll have you know you're complete pants at it," Sirius answered caustically. "I am not 'wallowing in self-pity'. I am concerned for Harry, as you bloody well know."

"I know," Remus relented softly. "But you need to realise that he is still cautious around you."

"I've told him dozens of time that he can speak to me, Moony, so don't give me that. I cannot force him to speak to me. It has to be his decision."

"Of course, but you can coax him," Remus added. Sirius looked at him pensively for a while.

"You know I respect you, mate," he said, and Remus smiled slightly. He knew where this was going. "But I don't think I should force him. Or coax him," he added quickly when Remus opened his mouth to protest. "I know my kid, Moony," he said quietly. "I'm going to allow him some time, but make sure he knows I'm here. For the moment, that's all I can do." They stared at each other for a while longer, before they were interrupted by the whistling of the kettle.

* * *

><p>Harry was stalling. Pushing his last pieces of egg around his plate as slowly as possible to put off the pending conversation. He heard his godfather sigh as he put the Daily Prophet down.<p>

"Harry… You can procrastinate for as long as you like: we will still be discussing this." Harry grimaced into his plate, and saw Remus shifting in his chair out of the corner of his eye. He didn't essentially mind the man being there, but he knew he was in for a lecture, and would rather Remus wasn't there for that. He wasn't sure if Sirius would ask him to leave for it, though, and certainly wouldn't ask him to leave himself. Sighing in defeat, he shovelled the last pieces of his now cold breakfast into his mouth and pushed his plate away from him. "Plate, sink," Sirius said with a raised eyebrow and a smile. Harry grinned and did as he was asked, the clattering of the knife and fork against the plate loud in the otherwise silent room

"I'll go and gather my things," Remus said, standing up.

"Yes, do," Sirius said pleasantly as Remus left the room. Harry fidgeted.

"Let's go into the parlour," Sirius said in the same placid voice, beckoning for Harry to follow. "Listen, Harry," he continued as they were both seated on the couch. "To a certain extent, I understand your reasoning in this situation. However," he quickly added as Harry looked far too hopeful, "You need to learn to think before you rush headlong into dangerous predicaments."

"But Sirius-"

"I'm not finished." Harry quieted, not quite sure how to deal with this Sirius. He'd only been his legal guardian for seven months, and until now, he had never been displeased with Harry. It was an odd thing really, and he felt an unfamiliar feeling in his stomach at Sirius indirect scolding. "Harry, one day you might find yourself in a situation you can't fix, and I don't want you getting used to this kind of luck with escaping death." Harry felt his godfather's hand on the back of his head, gently tipping it back to allow the boy's eyes to meet Sirius'. "I just got you, didn't I? I will hardly allow you to go killing yourself before I've seen you grow up into the strong young man I know you'll be." Harry bit his lip to stem his tears, irritated with the fact that he was breaking down for the second time in less than 48 hours. Sirius, seeing the boy's struggle, decided to drop the scolding for a bit. Well, he wasn't actually sure his tone would even count as scolding, but no matter.

"Come on, love, talk to me," he murmured, pulling the boy closer, settling him against his chest. "What's troubling you, hmm?" Harry sniffled miserably, and let his head lean against his godfather's shoulder, relishing in the warmth of the man's embrace.

"Promise you won't be angry?" Harry couldn't see it, but Sirius was smiling nostalgically. How many times had he himself not asked that same question? Albeit not to his father, or godfather, but to Mr Potter.

"I can't promise you that, kiddo. But I will promise to listen to all you have to say," he said, repeating the words James' father had spoken to both his son and his best friend. Harry sniffled again, and shifted into a more comfortable position.

"Well I… I love it here…" he began uncertainly, and Sirius felt warm inside at hearing this. Of course, Harry had made that quite clear previously, but to hear him saying it in that small soft voice was quite the treat. "But I… I can't help but…" Sirius squeezed the child to encourage him. "I miss mum. And dad," He whispered eventually and Sirius felt his heart plummet. Surely… _Surely_ Harry wasn't afraid he'd be angry about that?

"Harry… Why on Earth would I be angry about that?" he asked, astonished and a bit saddened.

"Well you've been so nice to me, and I'm not being at all grateful, and they're gone and I… I can't…" His slight frame shook with the force of his sob as the tears started falling and Sirius felt like a complete arse. Cradling the child as close as he could, he rocked him back and forth slowly.

"Ssh, Harry… I don't expect you not to miss your parents. In fact, I would be surprised if you didn't. I'm sorry I can't bring them back for you. I'm sorry they were taken from you." Harry just cried, feeling both grief and relief at finally having got that off his chest.

Sirius for his part felt like an idiot for not having realised how torn up Harry actually was, and was slightly irritated that Remus had seen it as such an obvious thing. All the pictures he'd shown the boy, all the stories he told him… Had they in fact only fuelled this desperation, this sadness? He'd have to be more careful, that was for sure. But for now he would just hold the child and let him cry. _His_ child.

* * *

><p>Five days had passed since Remus' first visit, and Sirius had spoken to Harry again about letting the man stay permanently. Or as permanently as need be, meaning until he found a suitable house himself. Harry had tried to hide his reluctance, but in the end, Sirius managed to convince him it'd be fun. He would move in the following day.<p>

"Come along, Harry," Sirius called up the stairs, smiling with amusement at Harry's crashing about in his room. "If you want to go to Diagon Alley, you'd best get your bum down here!" he added, just as Harry came flying round the corner and bounded down the stairs.

"I'm here, I'm here," he panted, stopping at the foot of the stairs to stoop and tie his shoelaces.

"What in Merlin's name took you so long?" Sirius chuckled.

"Couldn't find my shoes," Harry shrugged.

"You couldn't find your shoes," Sirius repeated raising his eyebrows. Harry held up his hands in defence.

"I've been using school shoes before," he said, nodding down at his trainers.

"Right, kiddo," was all he received back. "Now come on, _before_ you come of age." Harry rolled his eyes, something he'd picked up from his godfather, and followed him into the parlour and over to the fireplace. Sirius grabbed a handful of the dusty, grey Floo powder and chucked it into the fireplace, causing green flames to burst out of nowhere, licking the blackened, sooty sides. "Diagon Alley!" he stated clearly, and stepped, together with Harry, into the fire.

The wizard alley was rather crowded that sunny, summer morning, and Harry and Sirius made their way forward in a leisurely pace, stopping now and then to take a look in a window or buy Chocolate Frogs from vendors along the street.

After they'd got a fair way into the alley, Harry spotted the shop he'd been wanting to go to. Before he had time to open his mouth, though, Sirius said:

"I have to go to the bank. Haven't been for a while and I definitely need to get some more money." Harry's face visibly fell and Sirius chuckled quietly. "Why the long face?"

"I want to go to Quality Quidditch Supplies," Harry said dejectedly, staring longingly at the shop's sign some twenty metres away.

"We can go there after lunch," Sirius promised, beginning the trek towards the bank. But Harry didn't want to go there after lunch; he wanted to go now.

"Please Sirius, can't we go there first and then to the bank?"

"No we can't. If we do, you'll find a hundred things you want and you won't be able to get a single one of them. Doesn't sound too great, does it?" he said jokingly, tousling Harry's hair. The boy huffed, shrugging out of Sirius' grip and folding his arms. Sirius sighed, feeling torn. Would he dare…?

"All right, listen," he said, pulling the boy to the side so that they weren't blocking the street. "I will go to the bank, and in the meantime, you can stay in the shop." Harry's eyes lit up. "But Harry, listen to me. You will stay in there. I don't want you putting a toe outside the door while I'm gone. Do you understand?" Harry nodded emphatically. "A verbal answer, please."

"Yes, sir," Harry said eagerly.

"Do you have your wand?" Sirius asked. Harry nodded, pulling it out of his pocket. Taking it, Sirius tapped his own wand against it, and the Holly glowed blue for a brief second.

"What was that?" Harry asked as he was handed back his wand.

"Tracking spell. Now then." He walked them over to the Quidditch store, and grabbed Harry' shoulders. "Do you understand me, Harry? Do not leave the shop. I will be back in about fifteen minutes, all right?" Harry nodded. Patting the boy's head, Sirius nudged him through the doors. "Have fun," he said with a small grin before leaving to go to the bank. He was aware that it mightn't be the best thing in the world to leave the eleven-year-old alone in the store, but he doubted Harry would leave the place. He was actually surprised the kid had wanted to stay there without him anyway. Besides, apart from the Tracking Spell he'd placed on Harry's wand, there were other protections. For one thing, the detested Black family ring Sirius was forced to wear was charmed to let him know if Harry was in danger. Not to mention that he'd sent his Patronus out to watch the kid and let him know should anything go wrong. _I'll be quick_, he thought, hastening his step.

Harry stared around in wonder. The last few times they'd been in Diagon Alley he'd been too shy to ask to go in there, and so this was the first time. There were plenty of people around him, but they seemed to melt into the background as Harry eagerly perused all the brooms, Quidditch sets and other trinkets. He spotted a miniature Quidditch pitch, which could apparently be enlarged into one of regular size. He stared longingly at the package, before he was bodily pushed to the side by someone.

"Watch it," a snooty voice said that Harry immediately recognised. Feeling his heart race and his cheeks flush in anger, he turned to the scowling blonde.

"You walked into _me_, Malfoy," he growled, clenching his hands.

"Potter," the Slytherin sneered. "Should have known it was you. Who else would be so rude?"

"Prat," Harry muttered, turning away to continue browsing the many shelves.

"What are you doing in here anyway?" Malfoy continued, clearly in the mood for an argument. Fight, more like.

"None of your business," Harry replied without turning around.

"Shouldn't you be with that godfather of yours?" he said from behind Harry, who felt his temper rise.

"Don't say a word about my godfather, Malfoy," he hissed back.

"A wee bit touchy, aren't we?"

"Sod off," he muttered, turned and stalked out into the sunshine. He wasn't supposed to. He should go right back in. But in all honesty, he didn't know what he'd do to Malfoy if he stayed. He'd been going on his nerves all year, and he'd sure as hell not let him do the same when they were on break. The slight guilt he was feeling at disobeying Sirius was dulled by the throbbing anger. He didn't understand what possible joy Malfoy could see in tormenting him constantly. Harry was hardly kind to Malfoy, but he never sought him out just to start ribbing.

Sirius had said he wouldn't be long. He'd just stroll a few shops down and then go back and wait outside. _Or just inside the door_, he thought. He wasn't supposed to have left at all, so best play it safe.

The sun was hot on his back, and he paid the people and shops little mind, too lost in his own thoughts. After a while though, it seemed to get darker. Harry didn't realise at first, but when the sun suddenly didn't seem to shine anymore, he got a bit worried. How long had he been walking? And where was he, for that matter? Looking up he felt the hairs at the back of his neck stand up. Gone was the bright friendly, cobbled street of Diagon Alley. In its place he found a gloomy alleyway with a few dodgy looking witches and wizards limping along. Knockturn Alley. He felt his heart begin to race yet again, though for a different reason, and turned around as quickly as he could. It felt cold and frightening to be down there and he wanted nothing more than to get back to the crowded high street.

He could hear someone walking behind him but didn't slow in the slightest, or look back. He could see the crowds of people ahead of him and broke into a jog. Just a minute later he emerged, quickly melting into the crowd and made his way back to Quality Quidditch Supplies, wondering how long it had been since he'd left. He sighed gratefully as the sign to the store came into view. His relieved expression soon changed though. Standing outside the door was, of course, his godfather. For a moment, Harry felt like turning the other way and running as far away as possible. He didn't, though, but slowly walked up to Sirius, who had been watching him approach. Stopping in front of him, Harry stared at the ground, twisting his right hand around his left thumb.

"We're going home," Sirius said shortly, placing a hand on Harry's neck and guiding him towards the leaky Cauldron. Harry obeyed the pressure and they walked in silence.

* * *

><p>Harry stepped first into the living room, spinning around to face his godfather.<p>

"Sirius, I have to just-" He was cut off by Sirius grabbing his arm, turning him to the side and smacking him soundly across his rear. Harry yelped at the sudden sting, and again as two more spanks were placed on the exact same spot, before he was whirled back around.

"What did I tell you before I left?" Sirius demanded in a stern voice.

"That… That I should stay in the shop. But Sirius I-"

"No arguments, Harry," Sirius exclaimed in an exasperated voice. "There was no room for negotiation there. You told me to my face that you would stay in there, and you disobeyed me."

"But, Sirius, Malfoy-"

"_Harry James_." Harry snapped his mouth shut. "I told you not to leave. You must be able to avoid people with whom you don't get along without having to disobey me. I know you and Draco Malfoy don't see eye to eye, and I am not saying that you have to. However, you _do_ have to do as I tell you, and if that means enduring young Malfoy's company for ten minutes, then so be it." Harry was blushing: he was embarrassed about the whole affair, not to mention the scolding and the smacks. He couldn't actually believe Sirius had done that.

"I'm sorry," he squeaked out after a while, utterly mortified. Sirius fingers snaked their way under Harry's chin, applying gentle but persistent pressure until Harry raised his head and looked Sirius in the eyes.

"You worried me sick," he said quietly. "I came to the shop and you weren't there. The Tracking Spell said you were almost back by the shop though. Harry, where did you go?"

"I just wandered…" Harry said, in the same high pitched voice.

"Wandered," Sirius repeated.

"I wasn't looking where I was going. I walked into Knockturn Alley and then I realised that-"

"You walked in _where?_" Sirius exclaimed.

"Knockturn Alley," Harry admitted dejectedly. Two seconds later, Sirius hand came in contact with his godson's behind twice more.

"Harry James Potter, I cannot believe you!"

"I didn't mean to, Sirius, honest!" Harry cried, feeling hot tears gather in his eyes. Sirius dragged his hand through his hair and then, to Harry's surprise, pulled the boy into an embrace.

"You silly child," he sighed, holding Harry close. Harry, gripping his godfather for dear life, sniffled as his eyes watered and his bum tingled.

"Sorry," he said again, his voice muffled against Sirius' shirt. His godfather didn't answer, but just held his hand to Harry's head, rubbing his thumb up and down. After a while, Sirius inched away and held Harry at an arm's length.

"I love you very much, you know that right?" he said, and Harry felt himself blush as he nodded. Yes he did know that. Sighing, Sirius kissed his boy's forehead quickly and patted his shoulder. "Go to your room for a bit," he said quietly, and Harry nodded mutely, turning around and hurrying upstairs.

Once in his room, Harry flung himself on his bed, opting to lie on his stomach just in case. He doubted it' be painful to lie on his back, but it was probably more comfortable this way. It was more than obvious that he wasn't used to things like this. Sent to his room, yes. Though, at the Dursleys, he'd been sent to his cupboard, so he supposed this was an improvement. But getting away from his aunt, uncle and cousin had been a nice thing. Being sent away from Sirius was pure torture. What was he supposed to do, all alone, in his room? He sat up again, embarrassed to find it still slightly uncomfortable to sit. And what about all of that? He had no idea Sirius was the kind of person that used… that kind of discipline. Mrs Weasley, probably, Sirius, never. He hadn't gone anywhere near those measures when they'd spoken about the stone. In all honesty, Harry hadn't been punished at all for that, and he knew well that Ron and Hermione had been.

It was utterly confusing, and he picked up his Transfiguration book in all his despair, reasoning that he might as well complete some of the reading now that he had nothing else to do.

* * *

><p>"I smacked him Remus. I mean, I don't even…" Sirius groaned and shook his head, his eyes frustrated and slightly confused. Remus smiled slightly.<p>

"You're hardly the first parent to do so." His calling Sirius a parent warmed more than Sirius thought imaginable, but he didn't comment on it, deciding that it was only natural that he was referred to as Harry's parent: that was what he was now, after all.

"No, I know that from personal experience, Moony, thanks," Sirius replied sarcastically, to his best friend's amusement.

"Harry's a bright child," Remus said thoughtfully. "I doubt he went into Knockturn Alley on purpose."

"Nevertheless, he did enter that wretched place. He needs to learn to be more aware of his surroundings. Not to mention doing as he's told," he added grimly.

"Come now, Sirius, he's eleven years old."

"I'm perfectly aware of his age," Sirius replied, rolling his eyes playfully.

"And I think you will recall what you were like at that age?"

"Hardly relevant."

"So you see my point." Sirius sighed and took another swig of his Butterbeer. "It was always going to be a rocky time, this," Remus continued. "It takes time to adjust."

"He's been my... son since Christmas Moony," Sirius retorted, stumbling on the word _son_, feeling rather as though he was betraying James.

"But you've only been living together like this for two weeks. Give it time."

"I know." They sat in comfortable silence for a while before Sirius declared he was going to make dinner and then "call his monster downstairs."

"Sounds like a good idea. What are we eating?" Remus asked with a smirk.

"_You're_ eating a raw chicken if you're not careful."

"I think I'd prefer a raw steak…"

"Of _course_ you would…"


	3. Chapter 3

**So... Hi! I'm not dead! All lies! **

**Well, I'd thought I'd be updating 'Letting Him Go' first, but this just started going really well, so I went with it. **

**And here come some OC c: I suppose that'd make it a bit AU, but... yeah. I don't much like the terms, so. Haha.**

**Anyway, I hope you all like it. And do share your thoughts! Just be... nice about it. (Is it short, by the way? Hmm...)**

**Ivy**

* * *

><p>Sirius frowned at the parchment, pensively rubbing the stubble on his chin, his tea forgotten and cold by his elbow. The contents of the letter were vague, as would be expected considering the sender, but having experience with the Headmaster's style of writing he could usually find the important parts anyway. Unfortunately, though, this was a very short note which didn't shed any light on… well anything at all.<p>

Sighing, he folded it neatly and set it down on the kitchen table, rubbing his temples with his fingers. _I've had enough headaches to last a lifetime_, he thought grimly as he rose to wash out his cup and go wake Harry up. Even though Professor Dumbledore's letter hadn't given any useful information, it had been clear that the Headmaster wanted to meet with Sirius. Today, at eleven o'clock sharp in his office. Whatever it was he wanted, it seemed urgent. What bothered Sirius, however, was the fact that the old wizard had asked specifically for him to leave Harry at home. Or at least not bring him to their meeting. This made it clear that the matter concerned Harry, and Sirius couldn't help but feel a bit anxious.

"Harry?" he asked as he knocked, checking his watch. He usually woke Harry up at nine, but it was now almost ten. Since Ron had visited the previous evening, and the boys had stayed up late, he'd let the kid sleep for longer. Remus was away for the full moon, despite the fact that Sirius had tried to convince him to stay closer; Padfoot could have kept him company.  
>Sirius had considered the fact that he always woke the child up in the mornings, and had wondered briefly if Harry was embarrassed by it. But Harry had never expressed anything of the like, but had always smiled when he opened his eyes to his godfather's goofy grin, so he had continued doing it. "Harry? Come on kiddo, time to get up," he added with a chuckle as Harry groaned and rolled over, turning his back on his godfather. Sirius grinned evilly, and yanked the covers off the boy, making him spin around and send his godfather a seething look. "Oh good, you're up."<p>

"Just a bit longer," Harry protested, flicking his hair out of his eyes.

"Not a chance. It's ten o'clock. Get your lazy backside downstairs and have some breakfast." Sighing, Harry abandoned his efforts and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, standing up.

"What would you like?"

"Dunno."

"Eggs?" Harry shrugged. "Toast?" Twitch of the head. "Cereal?" Grimace. Sirius threw his hands up in defeat. "It's official: I'm never letting you sleep in until after nine again!" Harry rolled his eyes at his godfather's theatrics and walked ahead of him down the stairs.

"Can I have pancakes?" Sirius narrowed his eyes at the boy, who grinned innocently, once again flipping his hair out of the way.

"I _suppose_…" Sirius replied with a huff, as if this was a huge inconvenience. Harry plopped down on a chair, swinging his legs as he watched Sirius crashing about while retrieving eggs, flower, milk and placing a frying pan on the cooker. "By the way…" Sirius paused. "I got a letter from Dumbledore today."

"Right." Sirius whisked the batter.

"I have a meeting with him at eleven. Would you like to come to Hogwarts? Perhaps visit Hagrid. Or would you prefer going to Ron's?"

"I can't come?"

"Don't think you'd enjoy it. The Headmaster is rather long-winded…" Harry laughed, and Sirius was glad he'd avoided that conversation.

"I don't mind. Either."

"We'll go with Hagrid," Sirius nodded. "He'll always welcome your company. I'd have to owl Molly about it, or Floo there, which just takes a load of time…"

"Yeah, sure."

"What do you want on the pancakes?"

"Blueberry jam."

"Then fetch it please," Sirius ordered, shaking his head. "Really, I've never met a lazier child…" Harry huffed as he got the appropriate jar out of the fridge and placed it on the table with a spoon. Minutes later, Sirius slid a plate full of steaming pancakes on the table in front of the boy, and then seated himself on the opposite chair. "Dig in," he said, though it wasn't as though Harry needed any encouragement; the scents from the cooking had made his stomach rumble quite quickly.

"When're we leaving?" Harry asked, a bit short of breath from chewing so vigorously. Sirius checked his pocket watch.

"Twenty minutes, so don't dawdle." Harry snorted. Sirius grinned, pleased not only by his godson's mirth this morning, but about his happiness over the past few days. He'd been practically transformed from that uncertain, scared boy, into a normal, mischievous eleven-year-old, laughing sincerely at his godfather's jokes and complaining appropriately about his bedtime.

"All done," he declared as he got up, placing his things in the sink and began to run up the stairs.

"All right, all right, don't tear the house down," Sirius muttered, getting ready to wash up while Harry got dressed.

Up in his room, Harry was pulling a t-shirt over his head, consequently pushing his glasses askew. Righting them to allow him to see, he laced his trainers and rummaged around in a drawer after his wand. Huffing when he couldn't find it, he slammed the drawer shut, and stared around the room suspiciously.

"Harry? Are you coming?"

"Uh, yeah," Harry called back, biting his lip. He didn't really need his wand, he supposed…

"Now, please!" Harry muttered a bit, but decided to look for his wand later and ran down the stairs. "Thank you for your compliance," Sirius said with pursed lips as he led the way to the living room and the Floo.

"Okay…" Harry just said. Sirius smiled at the boy, grabbing a handful of the greeny grey powder.

"Come here you mongrel." The boy huffed out a laughter, but walked up to his godfather, just as Sirius threw the powder into the fireplace, saying "Hogwarts!". Together they stepped into the roaring green flames and were whisked away to the ancient castle among the hills of Scotland.

* * *

><p>"Harry, my boy, how perfectly splendid to see you," Dumbledore greeted as they stepped out of the Floo in the Headmaster's office.<p>

"Nice to see you too, sir," Harry replied, sneezing away the ash that had made its way into his nose.

"And Sirius, good to see you," he continued, offering Sirius the same warm, wide smile.

"And you, Albus."

"Well, Harry, Hagrid is waiting just downstairs for you. I believe Fang is with him. Poor creature doesn't generally like coming into the school. Far too many cats. Not fond of cats, Fang." Dumbledore shook his head musingly. Sirius winked at Harry, and nodded towards the door. With a sigh, Harry shrugged and exited the room. As soon as the heavy wooden door thudded shut, Sirius turned to the Headmaster, who had seated himself behind his large desk and was carefully filling small teacups with steaming tea.

"Now what is this about?" Dumbledore sighed and stirred three cubes of sugar into his own, handing the other cup to Sirius and gesturing for the younger wizard to sit down.

"It is a rather delicate matter, you see," he began carefully. "It is of the utmost importance that the information I am going to share with you does not reach a third party. At least not yet." Sirius raised his eyebrows, suddenly feeling rather apprehensive. "Do you have any knowledge of any girlfriends Regulus might have had?" The teacup clattered to the desk, the tea splashing precariously. Sirius stared at the older man, his mouth hanging open in surprise at the Headmaster bringing up his dead brother. He cleared his throat, dispelling his surprise.

"I'm afraid not, no," he replied.

"Ah."

"Albus, what-"

"As I said, Sirius, a very delicate matter indeed," Dumbledore interrupted, clearly meaning to continue speaking without any further disruptions. Sirius almost snorted but refrained and simply leaned back, eyeing the Headmaster suspiciously. "Regulus was 18 when he was killed, I believe." Sirius gave a curt nod. "He had, thus, left school and was deeply engaged in his own endeavours." Sirius made no comment or movement, but kept stock still, rather uncomfortable with the topic. "Of course, what with his joining Voldemort I suppose you were not much a part of his life at this point." At this moment, Sirius had to fight hard with himself not to say something, not to demand exactly what the Headmaster was insinuating. "And in effect, not privy to any information about his personal life." _Get on with it, old man_, Sirius thought irritably, shifting in his chair. "Nor serious relationships."

"Albus, really, there is no need for such mystery!" Sirius eventually exclaimed, gesticulating expressively with his hands.

"Forgive an old man's storytelling," Albus smiled sadly. "At the point of his death, Regulus was seeing a girl names Felicity Bingley." Sirius mouth fell agape. "She was 19 at the time, and had recently graduated from Beuxbatons."

"This is all very interesting, sir, but would you mind telling me exactly where it is you're going with this?"

"Regulus had been seeing her for just over a year, having met her in the Leaky Cauldron during his last year here at Hogwarts," Dumbledore continued, as if he had not been stopped. "They formed a rather special relationship. In short…" He seemed lost for words for a few moments. "Well, in short she became pregnant after only a few months." Exactly what Sirius felt at that point was difficult to put into words. Astonished, shocked, surprised, confused, furious were only a few suitable words that came to mind.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I mean to say, Regulus had a child with Miss Bingley."

"But that can't be… I mean, he can't possibly have…"

"The reason I am telling you this, Sirius, is because Miss Bingley passed away two days ago." Suddenly, Sirius felt this incomprehensible grief for a woman he had never known. Nevertheless, the woman who was the mother of his niece or nephew.

"I'm sorry to hear," he murmured.

"Yes it's a rather tragic affair," Dumbledore agreed softly.

"I'm afraid that despite all of this, I don't see what you really wish to tell me."

"Miss Bingley never married. She was an only child, and her parents are both deceased since several years. Her cousins are Muggles and alienated her through all her life." Sirius felt for this woman, who had been left alone most of her life, and felt strangely grateful to his brother for having loved her. "Sirius, you are the child's closest living relative." He smiled at the shell shocked man. "I know this comes as… a surprise, maybe, and quite a big one at that, but you needed to be told. Miss Bingley knew only that the father of her child had a brother, but not his name. Although I suppose she might have figured that out following all the articles on you. Not really something that would have made her inclined to seek you out." He paused, fiddling with some rolls of parchment on the desk. "However, it is stated in her will that the custody of the child should go to you if you are willing to take her in."

"You mean to tell me, that a perfect stranger has left her only child with me, someone she's never met and hardly knows if she can trust?" Dumbledore's smile widened.

"Regulus must have had some kind words to say about you, after all." _Like hell he had_, Sirius thought, but wisely said nothing. "In whichever case, we need to get moving quickly. The girl is a confirmed witch, so at least we don't have to worry about the Muggle authorities. However, we do need to contact the Minister as soon as possible to sort out the adoption papers."

"Hold on a moment," Sirius said, holding his hand up for emphasis. "What if the girl doesn't want to live with me? How old is she? Does she not have any say?"

"The girl is a year younger than Harry, and turned eleven earlier this year. She will be attending Hogwarts next term. Her age means that she does not have to agree, by law, but her opinion will be taken into consideration. However, I find it hard to believe that she would not agree." Sirius didn't dare ask why.

"This is rather… overwhelming. I only just got Harry. I don't know what he'll think." _Harry_. He hadn't even considered his godson. Would he accept this new child, who would, in effect, become his sister?

"Of course it is. You are not obliged to agree." Of course not, but how could I not?

"I will have to tell Harry about this, Albus. I know you said it mustn't reach other ears, but—"

"As long as Harry does not bring it up with anyone else. At least not until the adoption is sealed."

"Certainly. I will make sure of it."

"Wonderful. I take it you agree to this ordeal?" Sirius smiled sadly, deciding that Harry would have to be fine with what was happening.

"When can I meet her?"

* * *

><p>Harry's fork clinked onto his plate as he finished his last piece of meat, gulping down the rest of the pumpkin juice he'd had with his dinner, grinning devilishly at his godfather's narrowed eyes.<p>

"What?"

"Manners," Sirius chided jokingly, struggling to keep his tone light. His conversation with the Headmaster that morning had been weighing him down all day, and he was battling withy himself over how and when he ought to tell the child sitting across from him.

"At least I finished all of it," Harry remarked casually.

"True," Sirius said, forcing a smile. "Will you please—"

"Put my things in the sink?" Harry finished for him, already standing up.

"Am I that predictable?"

"Yes," the boy nodded seriously as he placed the plate and glass in the sink, the knife and fork clattering loudly.

"I need to talk to you about something." Harry looked over at his godfather in confusion.

"What?"

"One minute." With a wave of his wand he sent the dishes to wash themselves up, and then indicated for his godson to follow him into the living room. They sat at opposite ends of the couch, Harry drawing up his knees as he often did.

"So?" Sirius wasn't at all sure how Harry would react. With surprise or astonishment of course, but then what? Happiness? Jealousy? Anger? Sirius couldn't predict.

"I had a meeting with Dumbledore this morning—"

"I know that." Sirius raised an eyebrow, but Harry couldn't find it in himself to look guilty over his cheekiness.

"Mm," was all the man said, slight disapproval in his voice before he shook it off. "Now… My meeting with the Headmaster." He paused, scratching at the short stubble starting to appear on his chin, as Harry watched him with confused amusement. "First of all, I want you to know that this is not a decision I made lightly. Quickly, I'll admit, but it was the moral thing to do. I couldn't not have agreed." Harry brown furrowed as he gazed at his godfather.

"What do you mean?" Sirius sighed.

"I have a brother. Well, I had a brother. He was younger than me, Regulus."

"You did?"

"Mm. I'm afraid he passed away some years ago." _Was murdered is more like it_, Sirius thought grimly, but decided to keep everything short and simple. _For the time being_.

"Oh. Sorry."

"That's all right," Sirius smiled. "Anyway. My brother made a few… bad choices in life. I wasn't very close to him around the time he died." He paused again, not wanting to give up the information of Regulus' allegiance to Voldemort. Not when Harry was so young. He had enough on his eleven-year-old mind as it was. "He was 18, and had recently finished Hogwarts. There are a lot of things I don't know about Regulus, and Professor Dumbledore took the time to… enlighten me today."

"Really? Dumbledore knew?"

"Dumbledore was contacts all over the country. Probably all over the world come to think of it. In addition, he's a rather observant man. In any case, he shared some rather important information with me today, something that is going to affect both you and me." The boy looked almost scared now, and Sirius wondered if he might have been a bit too mysterious about the whole thing. _Should I just have told him straight out?_ "It turns out my brother had an affair with a woman, someone I never knew." Sirius gazed pensively at his serene-looking godson. "They had a baby." Harry almost blushed, but just turned his head to the side a bit, looking rather thoughtful himself. "Harry, you see, this woman, Felicity Bingley, died recently. And in her will, she has stated that she wants me to adopt her daughter." _There_.

"She… But you didn't know her, you said," Harry remarked, his brow still furrowed, obviously rather perplexed by the story.

"No, she didn't know me. But I suppose Regulus must've told her about me." _The raged, convicted murderer for a brother_, he thought. _What a wonderful father figure._

"Oh. Will she come and live here then?"

"Yes. Yes she will."

"So she'd be, like, my sister?" Sirius smiled slightly again.

"Yes, she would."

"Oh."

"Are you all right with all of this?" Harry looked up at Sirius' worried face and nodded.

"Yeah," he said quietly. "Sure."

"Well that settles it then."

"It does?"

"Well, I would probably have had to take her in anyway. But of course, if it had really upset you I'd have had to make other arrangements." Harry frowned, looking almost disapproving himself at this point.

"But you're related to her. You're not related to me."

"I am related to you. Distantly. But that doesn't matter, Harry. I'm your godfather, your guardian. Legally your father. Blood has nothing to do with it, son." Harry smiled, red-faced, and made a nodding-kind-of-shrug. "All right?" Harry nodded again. "Really?"

"Yeah, it's fine."

"Just fine?"

"Brilliant actually." Sirius laughed sincerely.

"I'm glad."

"Hey Sirius?"

"Mm?"

"What's her name?" Sirius immediately wondered how the hell he'd got through the entire explanation without mentioning the child's name, and suddenly felt very ashamed of himself. She was his niece after all.

"Ainslee," Sirius replied.

* * *

><p><strong><span>EDIT<span>: Just remembered something. Some of you will probably realise that there's no way Regulus' daughter could be younger than Harry, following canon dates. To make it work, Regulus was born in 1962 and died in 1980 instead. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello! Sorry this is a day later than I'd promised... Embarrassing, huh. Well, things got a bit hectic and weird and butterfly-ish because of some reasons. So... Yeah. Hmm. Anyway!**

**This chapter is a bit... weird? I dunno. It's all right, I s'pose ;) Please tell me what you think of Ainslee! I'm always apprehensive about messing too much with canon... Hmm. But I think she's an all right character for this setting. Oh, and tell me if it's... repetitive? I don't know. Anyway, sorry!**

**Ivy**

* * *

><p>Sirius entered Dumbledore's office, feeling an odd mix of apprehension, longing and excitement. His godson was trailing behind him, obviously just as nervous as he was. It was perfectly natural, of course, but Sirius was still surprised at the level of emotion he was feeling.<p>

And there she was.

Sitting at the low table near Albus' fireplace was a girl, who looked younger than Sirius knew for a fact she was. She had slightly curly, dark brown hair, deep brown eyes and a pale face. Her dainty hands were nervously gripping the fabric of her marine blue skirt, her legs hanging stiffly off the edge of the large armchair. Sitting beside her was a woman in plum robes, a soft smile playing on her lips. She looked to be about thirty years old, and had the distinct appearance of someone who knew they were important. _Ministry employee_, Sirius thought, not without malice.

"Ah, Sirius." Professor Dumbledore appeared from behind his desk, smiling warmly as he approached them. Sirius entered the room fully, allowing his godson to see. The little girl looked up slowly, gazing at Sirius for a moment before her eyes locked with Harry. Sirius own pair darted between the boy and the girl. Eventually, Harry broke into a small, uncertain smile. One which the girl returned, before looking up at Sirius again, her eyes full of interest and… Longing, maybe? "This is Ainslee Black," the Headmaster introduced quietly. Sirius walked up to the girl, ignoring the now appraising eyes of the woman to his right, and crouched down by Ainslee.

"Hello Ainslee. I'm Sirius Black," he said gently, holding out his hand. Warring with herself for but a moment, Ainslee took his hand and shook it carefully. Sirius smiled at her. "It's very nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, sir," Ainslee replied quietly, smiling in spite of herself, her eyes darting over to Harry, who was practically frozen to the ground a few feet away. Sirius turned and gave the boy a smile, too.

"This is my godson, Harry Potter." He beckoned for Harry to over, and the boy obligingly trotted closer, offering his hand to Ainslee.

"Hullo."

"Hello…" Ainslee replied, taking his hand as she had Sirius'.

"Sirius is your uncle, Ainslee, remember?" the woman said kindly. Harry wrinkled his nose in her direction, annoyed with her gooey voice. Sirius shot him a warning glance, holding his gaze for a moment. Ainslee nodded in response. "Harry is his godson." _As I said_, Sirius thought, but did not show his scepticism towards the woman, as he had practically just silently scolded Harry for doing so. Ainslee nodded again. Harry dared a grimace in her direction, and she immediately broke into a grin, ducking her head to hide it. "No need to be shy, dear," the woman continued soothingly, completely misinterpreting the girl's reaction. Ainslee, having composed herself, looked up again. "I'm going to leave you here with Harry and Sirius, and you can get to know them, all right?" Ainslee nodded mutely, as the woman stood. "Elizabeth Wasp," the woman declared, introducing herself to Sirius.

"A pleasure, Miss Wasp," he replied, before allowing her to pass, saying her goodbyes to Dumbledore and then exiting the room.

"Finally," Ainslee sighed, her hands untangling themselves from her skirt and her back relaxing. "She's a bit of a bother," she said pensively to Sirius, who forced himself not to laugh.

"I see." Sirius took the spot Elizabeth had vacated, and conjured a stool for Harry.

"Well, I see you are all settling in. I think I shall pay Hagrid a visit. He makes a delightful cup of tea," Dumbledore said, twinkling at them before he, too, left the room.

"Well, Ainslee. How are you?" Sirius asked, feeling like a royal arse for not having anything good to say to his niece. _My niece_, he thought. _This is ludicrous. But surprisingly joyous. _

"Oh I'm fine, sir, thank you," she replied hastily, flashing another smile in his direction.

"Just Sirius," he commented. "And I'm glad. I'm sorry about your mum." Ainslee frowned for a bit, played around with her skirt. Sirius was actually very surprised at how calm she was. It hadn't been that long since her mother, Felicity, had passed away, and for an eleven-year-old to be this nonchalant… It felt unnatural.

"Yes…"

"If you ever want to talk about her," he continued softly, "you can speak to me. All right?" The girl nodded. "Or of your father, I suppose," he added thoughtfully. "I don't know how much your mum spoke of him." Ainslee smiled faintly.

"Quite a lot," she admitted. "She said he had a nice laugh." Sirius smiled wistfully. Yes, Regulus had had a rather contagious laugh. When it wasn't malicious of course.

"He did indeed. But I'll tell you a secret." He leaned closer. "His humour was pants," he whispered, so quietly that Harry had to lean close to hear his godfather. Ainslee let out a small laugh. "Well, well! Your laugh is rather like his!"

"Really?" Ainslee said, her eyes wide.

"Really," Sirius nodded seriously. "In fact, I'd wager it's even nicer."

"What about my laugh?" Harry demanded.

"Yours is like your mum's. Loud and a right nuisance," Sirius said, winking at Harry, who in turn nudged his godfather in the side. "Oomph. Watch it, you," he said, jutting a finger to the boy's chest, but his eyes dancing at the same time, ruining the whole thing. Both children laughed. _This will be just fine._

* * *

><p>"I take it things went well?" Dumbledore asked as Sirius sat down in front of his desk. It was late evening, and Harry and Ainslee were asleep in a couple of spare rooms behind a portrait of Nicolas Flamel. Sirius nodded, feeling absolutely exhausted. After having talked to Ainslee for over an hour, they all went outside and played Quidditch. They continued until it started getting chilly, and then played Gobstones inside for a while, before having dinner with Dumbledore and the rest of the staff. Harry and Ainslee seemed to be getting along nicely, and Sirius felt so grateful for his godson's quick acceptance.<p>

"Yes, very much so."

"Did you get a chance to talk to Ainslee alone?"

"Yes, for a few minutes," Sirius said with a lopsided grin.

"And she is positive that she wants to stay with you?" Sirius nodded again.

"Yes, she seemed rather eager. I think Harry is looking forward to it, too." Dumbledore broke into a large smile.

"Wonderful! Well, I shall contact the Ministry and have them send the papers over so we can look over them. It'll require you actually going there, with Ainslee, to go through the ceremony, but it shouldn't be too much trouble."

"That's fine," Sirius nodded.

"You look like you need to sleep, my friend," Dumbledore pointed out, ever observant.

"Nothing that can't wait," Sirius said gruffly. Dumbledore shook his head patiently.

"Sleep, Sirius. There's nothing more for you to do." He gestured to a different portrait, opposite that behind which Sirius' godson and niece for sleeping, and Sirius raised an eyebrow.

"How many hidden rooms do you have here?"

"Oh I haven't the foggiest," Dumbledore replied merrily, leading the way.

* * *

><p>Sirius stepped after the children through the Floo, finding them both in the middle of the parlour in their house.<p>

"Here we are," he said awkwardly, shifting Ainslee's bag to his left hand.

"It's very nice," Ainslee said politely, and Harry grimaced. "It _is_," she insisted, waving her hand around, though forcing a smile all the same.

"Thank you," Sirius replied, amused at their exchange. "Come along, I'll show you your room. Harry, will you get cups out for the tea? I'll boil the water," he added.

"I can do it," Harry said.

"I'd rather you didn't," Sirius said firmly. "Just the cups, all right?" Harry nodded in defeat and plodded into the kitchen, leaving Sirius with his niece. "Come on, we'll take your things to you room," he said cheerfully, beckoning for her to follow him up the stairs. What had been a vacated extra bedroom was now decorated in dark reds and blues, and Sirius entered before the girl, setting her bag down on the foot of the bed. "Here we are. I'm sorry for the lack of exciting details," he added with a smile. "We can change it if you'd like."

"No, sir, no, this is very nice," Ainslee hurried to say.

"Sirius," he corrected gently, his eyes crinkled with amusement. "Just Sirius." Ainslee nodded, and smiled despite her blushing cheeks. "I would like to speak to you for a moment, if that's all right," he continued, sitting down in the bed and patting the place beside him. Shyly, Ainslee walked over to him, and hopped up on the mattress. "I understand this must be… very odd for you. You barely know me, and I don't at all expect you to settle straight in. Take your time, and please tell me if there's anything I can do for you, or get you." Ainslee nodded quietly, something of a habit, it seemed. "We'll sort things out. Slowly," Sirius smiled.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

"There's no need," he murmured, right as Harry came crashing through the door.

"Are we having tea soon or what?" he demanded, staring at his godfather.

"You see this?" Sirius said to Ainslee, hooking a thumb in Harry's direction. "No manners. I didn't raise him," he added. Ainslee laughed, and followed Sirius out of the room as they headed for the kitchen. As they began descending the stairs, he felt the girl slip her hand into his. He said nothing, simply held the girl's fingers in his own, subtly letting go when they reached their destination.

With a flick of his wand, Sirius had the water boiling on the cooker. The cups were complete with strainers and tea, but Sirius still spotted the three sugar cubes in one of the cups. He chuckled.

"Nice try, mate," he commented, lifting the strainer and removing two of them.

"Come on Sirius," he said, glancing over at Ainslee, with a grimace. She giggled.

"Not a chance. Ainslee, do you take sugar?" She nodded.

"One lump, please." He added one to her cup, and chucked the third one back into the bowl, putting it away in the cupboard. When the kettle whistled, he poured the boiling water over the tea leaves and then pushed the cups towards the children.

"I think we'll take a trip to Diagon Alley tomorrow," he said when he'd seated himself. "Ainslee will need some books and things for her room. And I think you need a new uniform," he added to Harry.

"Yeah, I suppose," the boy sighed.

"You suppose?" Sirius chuckled. "You could use your trousers for shorts at this point." Harry grimaced. "We could get robes for Ainslee as well, while we're at it."

"Robe fitting is awful," Harry said to Ainslee. "Really horrid. Madam Malkin is scary with long, pointy needles and loads of fabric," he added naughtily.

"Harry," Sirius said, rolling his eyes.

"I don't mind," Ainslee replied.

"Are you sure?"

"Well, we'll see I suppose," she conceded. "Can't be too bad."

"Exactly," Sirius nodded in approval. Harry began an animated tale of his last robe fitting, and Sirius used the time to think for a bit. It was strange, in a way, the way Harry acted. He'd always been a joking and fun kid, but he'd got extremely cheeky and carefree and childish since they'd met Ainslee. He didn't quite know why, but he did like it. His godson was acting more like a normal eleven-year-old. Less quiet, sombre and serious. And the fact that he was getting on so brilliantly with Ainslee was astonishing to Sirius. He had been certain that Harry would be shy to start with, eventually warm to the girl. He'd been prepared for fighting, arguments and tears. And he'd had none of the sort. _Yet_, he thought grimly, but couldn't help the smile that played on his lips as he watched Ainslee laughing at Harry's recount of Norbert the dragon.

* * *

><p>Sirius added a final signature to the end of the parchment with a flourish of the quill, and the document was then promptly taken by the witch behind the desk.<p>

"Wonderful, Mr Black, thank you," she said warmly, scanning the parchment to make sure everything was in order. "You will receive a letter from the Social Service and Welfare Department within a week, confirming the transfer." Sirius thought it unfathomable, the way this woman spoke about a "transfer", as if Ainslee was a sum of money.

"Thank you," he answered stiffly, laying a hand on his niece's shoulder. She stepped closer to him, leaning into his side. He squeezed the little shoulder.

"It was nice meeting both of you," she said, looking down at the girl.

"Yes. Thank you, we will be on our way."

"Certainly, Mr Black." She opened the door for them.

"Good bye."

"Good bye, ma'am," Ainslee said quietly.

"All done now," Sirius said in a reassuring voice as they headed for the Floo.

"She was strange," Ainslee commented. Sirius smiled.

"Indeed, a bit. But we're all done now."

"Does that mean you adopted me?" Sirius nodded.

"It does indeed. Feels rather spectacular, I must say." He glanced down at the girl. She was looking down at her shoes, but he could still see the smile. She slipped her hand into his, and he held it easily, as if they had walked in such a fashion hundreds of time over the past decade.

When they arrived home, Harry almost barrelled into Sirius as he came rushing into the parlour.

"Finally!" he gushed, Dumbledore entering after him, in a more collected manner. "I thought you'd never come back!"

"It hasn't been that long, mate," Sirius chuckled, running a hand through Harry's hair. "Did you have fun?"

"Yeah. We played Exploding Snap and then I flew outside for a bit."

"That does sound exciting," Sirius smiled. It only lasted a moment though. "Oh Merlin's ruddy…" He caught himself. "Ainslee, have you ever been flying?"

"No," she said, with a shake of her head. "Mum always thought I was too small." Her eyes watered a bit, and her bottom lip wobbled; the first sign of grief she'd shown over her dead mother.

"I'd best be off," Dumbledore said quietly, bidding them adieu before turning on the spot and disappearing with a _pop_. Sirius placed a hand on Ainslee's head, and gently pulled her closer.

"It's all right," he said quietly. Feeling tears stinging behind her eyes, Ainslee turned into Sirius' shirt, wrapping her small arms around him. Sirius' reaction was automatic: his arms encircled the small girl, holding her close. Harry looked torn between sympathy and annoyance. _Please not now_, Sirius thought.

"Why don't you go up to your room for a bit?" he said quietly to Harry. "I'll make lunch in a bit." He winked and gave his godson a smile, which was barely returned, before the bespectacled child exited the room and ran up the stairs. He gave a small sigh. He had realised that Harry might feel jealous or neglected once Ainslee moved in with them. But after the good start to their relationship, he'd hoped the situation might be delayed. _Perhaps not, then._

"Come on," he urged carefully, leading the girl with him to the living room, sitting them down next to each other on the couch, an arm still around her. "I know it's hard. Losing someone… It's never what you think." _Sirius, bloody hell, she is eleven_, he scolded himself as he heard the girl sniffle and shift by his side. He fell silent, and just squeezed her shoulder tighter. Her head dropped onto his shoulder.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"Any time," he replied in an equally hushed voice, still not letting his grip loosen.

* * *

><p>"Sirius?" The timid whisper immediately woke Sirius, and groggily he forced his eyes open to face his godson.<p>

"Hi there," he said quietly in response, sitting up as he waved the boy closer. The jet black hair was standing in every which way on Harry's head, but that was pretty much all one could see in the darkness. "Hey, what's wrong, mate?" he said, concern taking over as he swung his legs over the side of the bed and gripped Harry's shoulders.

"Nothing." Despite his state of exhaustion, Sirius raised an eyebrow.

"Come now, you wouldn't be standing in my room at… three in the morning, if there was nothing wrong. Would you?" Harry shrugged. "You can talk to me, Harry," he said softly, offering a small smile. "Did you have a bad dream?" The boy hadn't really been plagued by any nightmares while he'd lived with Sirius, but it was very possible. Considering what he'd been through in his life, Sirius was actually surprised he wasn't haunted more often. He had nightmares himself about Azkaban, as well as the horrible night that had changed not only his and hid godson's lives, but had had a serious impact on wizarding history.

"Yeah…" Harry muttered in response, rubbing his knuckles over his eyes. Sirius patted the bed beside him, and as Harry sat down, Sirius turned the lights up in the room, so that he could actually see the boy. His eyes were still foggy with sleep, but they held also a look which looked like a mix of worry and intimidation. Sirius put an arm around his slight shoulders.

"Do you want to tell me what it was about? Hmm?" he prodded when Harry remained silent.

"It's silly," Harry whispered, shifting uncomfortably on the bed.

"I'm sure that's not true," Sirius soothed. "If it made you come in here, I doubt it." That was another thing. Harry had come to him. He'd never said he should if he had a nightmare, but realised now that had been thick of him, and he was glad Harry hadn't been afraid to wake him. Well, until now, when Sirius actually was awake, which seemed to make his godson a bit embarrassed.

"It was about you…"

"Oy, I'm in your nightmares? Well that's a relief…" Sirius said, grinning at his godson, who rolled his eyes in spite of himself.

"And Ainslee," Harry elaborated after a moment.

"Oh." _Oh._

"I mean," Harry hurried to say, "I like her. She's really nice."

"But… She's living here now. Right after you came here." Harry shrugged. "Listen to me Harry. I understand if this is strange for you. And no one is blaming you for feeling suspicious towards Ainslee."

"But she's your brother's daughter! You're related!"

"Harry." Sirius waited until Harry's green eyes met his darker ones. "You're my godson. And you were my godson before Ainslee was even born. All right?" He waited again, waited until Harry nodded slowly. "Now this will be odd for a while, but we'll work it out. So you have to talk to me if something's bothering you. Can you do that for me?"

"Yeah…"

"Good," Sirius approved, kissing the boy's temple. "Come on, let's get you to bed again." He put a comforting hand on Harry's back and followed him into the other room, staying as Harry climbed into the bed and under the covers. "Now you tell me if you have any nightmares, okay?"

"Okay then," Harry nodded from his pillow. Sirius smiled.

"Good night, mate."

"Night, Sirius."


	5. Chapter 5

**I dunno; suddenly had a surge of inspiration, so I wrote the whole thing this evening :) (therefore, please excuse any silly mistakes or misspellings/typos!) **  
><strong>Those of you who follow LHG: please know that I'm about a third through chapter 18 for that, too, and I'm hoping to have it up as soon as possible. School and other commitments have had me rather busy for a while, and will be until I finish my exams in mid-May.<strong>

**Hoping you're all well (and still there!), and that you'll enjoy the chapter!**

**Ivy**

* * *

><p>The newly formed Potter-Black family was sitting around the kitchen table, eating breakfast. Remus had left early for a meeting with Dumbledore, and was hence not joining them for their morning meal. Sirius had his nose buried in <em>the Daily Prophet<em>, his hand folded around a cup of black coffee. Harry was chomping through a piece of toast and gulping down large mouthfuls of milk, Ainslee slowly eating toast with jam, watching her adoptive brother with an amused spark in her eyes. At a particularly obnoxious chew from Harry, Sirius looked up, giving the boy a sternly disapproving look. Harry swallowed painfully, and smiled at his godfather, gulping down the last of his milk. As he was about to stand up, almost knocking his chair over in the process, Sirius cleared his throat. Harry stopped, giving his godfather an innocent look.

"Well?" Sirius enquired. Ainslee's eyes darted from one to the other, not sure how serious the situation was just yet.

"What?" Harry replied, his voice as innocent as his eyes. Sirius had noticed that, as Harry grew more comfortable with him, and with Ainslee, he had become increasingly mischievous; he suddenly understood why teachers had said they had occasional problems with his behaviour in school.

"Don't 'what' me, young man," Sirius lectured, deciding to rein his boy back in. "Your manners are atrocious, and they will need rapid improvement." Harry's smile fell as he realised he had pushed his godfather too far. Straightening the chair and tugging at the hem of his t-shirt, he looked very forlorn all of a sudden. Ainslee suppressed a giggle, at which Sirius gaze shifted to her.

"Ainslee, if you have finished your breakfast, you may head up to your room." Mirroring Harry, her face fell.

"But Sirius—"

"Right now, please." Sighing, she picked up her plate and glass and after having deposited them in the sink, she headed reluctantly out of the room. "Now then. Harry?"

"I'm sorry," he admitted, having difficulty meeting his godfather's eyes. Sirius allowed himself a small smile.

"I'm happy you're happy," he said, searching for his godson's gaze, "but I will not have you behaving like this. Understood?"

"Yes sir," Harry sighed. Sirius smiled, finally catching the boy's eyes.

"Off you go." Grimacing, Harry cleared away his breakfast things and jogged out of the room. Sirius shook his head as he returned his attention to the paper.

Rather than heading to his own room, Harry turned off and knocked on Ainslee's door. At her voice, he opened it, finding her sitting cross-legged on the floor, her uniform spread out in front of her. Harry made a face.

"What are you doing?" She made a face back.

"Just looking."

"You're like Hermione," Harry said with amusement. He'd told his sister all about his friends when she'd first arrived, two weeks earlier. Since they'd been to Diagon Alley, she had had a difficult time not looking at her robes. They had yet to buy her books, though, as the list had not arrived; that had not stopped her from borrowing Harry's ones, more or less adopting them for her own, reasoning that that way, Sirius didn't have to buy new ones. He had insisted that he would anyway, joking that Harry might need them for "remedial classes".

"Don't see why that's a bad thing," she retorted. "When are they coming to visit anyway?" Harry sat down next her, shrugging.

"Dunno. Haven't asked Sirius yet. For my birthday, if nothing else."

"Oh yes!" she exclaimed, looking happily at him. "When is it again?" Harry snorted as she laughed.

"31st, you know this! It's a month left," he sighed. "On the bright side, that means it's longer until school starts."

"That's not a good thing. I want school to start now! I want to be sorted!"

"Bet you'll be Hufflepuff," Harry said.

"Will not!"

"Will too!"

"Nuh-uh!" she added, shoving him over. He laughed, grabbing her robes and jumping up. "Catch me if you can!" Turning around, he raced out of the room, barrelling down the corridor, Ainslee hot on his heels. She was fast, faster than Harry had expected, and he found himself running like he never had before. He practically slid down the stairs, through the living room and the parlour, made a sharp turn into the corridor again, and slammed the back door open as they both fell out into the garden. Almost tripping on the uneven ground, Ainslee caught hold of her robes, causing them both to fall to the ground, rolling in the grass. They were laughing hysterically, gasping for breath as they both clutched Ainslee's uniform.

"You're slow," Ainslee panted. Harry tugged at the robe.

"Shut up." She laughed again, before pushing herself into a sitting position. Harry did the same, giving the robe up. As she was folding it up, Ainslee stopped abruptly. "What?" Harry asked. She looked at him with wide eyes, holding up the robes. The right sleeve was torn almost entirely off the rest of the fabric, the threads hanging unevenly across her face. "Oh you must be joking," Harry groaned.

"I haven't even worn them yet!" she exclaimed, her brow furrowing. "Harry!"

"It wasn't my fault!" he hurried to defend himself. "You grabbed hold of them!"

"But you ran away with them to begin with!"

"Only because you pushed me!"

"You called me a Hufflepuff!" They were standing up now, faces red and eyes stormy.

"Ainslee! Harry!" They turned towards the door, in which Sirius was standing. "Come here please." Ainslee turned to Harry, folding her robe up.

"We don't tell him about this," she ordered before turning away from him and flouncing off towards the house. Harry huffed but hurried after her.

"Care to explain?" Sirius said when they stopped in front of him, pointing at the dent in the wallpaper where the doorknob had hit when Harry had tugged the door open.

"Sorry," Harry muttered, trying not to glare at Ainslee. Sirius sighed.

"What did I tell you just now, hmm? You have to calm down. And _behave_ yourself," he added when he received no reaction from the boy.

"I know."

"Are those your robes?" Ainslee looked at her uncle, smiling slightly.

"Yeah. Don't really want to part with them." Sirius chuckled.

"I see. Well put them away now please; don't want them to get ruined." Ainslee smiled and ran past him, back up to his room.

"Do you understand me, Harry?" Sirius asked for the second time that day, giving his godson a stern look. Harry gazed back at him, not believing that Ainslee hadn't been scolded for running.

"Yes," he nodded. Sirius tousled his hair.

"Good boy. I was thinking we'd make a pie tonight. Any preferences?" Happy that his godfather hadn't dwelled on the running thing, Harry smiled as they walked back inside.

"Rhubarb I reckon." Sirius laughed.

"I was thinking of savoury, but rhubarb it is!"

* * *

><p>Harry was flying around on his broom when his day took a turn for the worse. In retrospect, he knew he didn't resent Ainslee for it; he realised that he thoroughly enjoyed her company, and already saw her as a proper sister. He could not possibly imagine a life without her anymore. However, he had completely changed his mind about her character. She was not a Hufflepuff: she was clearly a Slytherin.<p>

After lunch, Harry had requested permission to go out flying. Sirius had told him to "knock himself out, but not literally". Ainslee, who still wasn't certain she liked flying, had opted to stay inside, doing who-knew-what. However, it was clear that she got bored after while. Having grown very comfortable with Sirius, very quickly, her 11-year-old mind had subconsciously decided that testing the waters would be a good idea. Her sense of self-preservation had soon included her brother in the plan, in an effort to avoid incrimination. Of course, some part of her felt guilty about this, because she very much liked Harry, like a real brother, but she was unfortunately more concerned about herself than about Harry. Besides, wasn't this what you did with siblings?

Forcing her eyes open for a while, she felt them stinging, trying not to blink to force out tears. Once she had, she squeezed her cheeks a few times, and rubbed her eyes. Looking in the mirror she decided it looked convincing enough, and, grabbing her robes and her broom, she exited her room. She hid the broom under Harry's bed, and then walked downstairs.

With a red face and swollen, teary eyes, she entered Sirius' study, where he was sitting poring over some papers. As she sniffled, he looked up. His concentration quickly melted into concern, and he stood up and rounded his desk in a matter of seconds.

"What's the matter love?" he asked, holding her arms and crouching down in front of her. Ainslee sniffled a bit again.

"My robes," she whimpered, holding them up for his inspection. He looked them over, and quickly found the tear.

"How did this happen?" he asked gently, knowing how much she liked her robes.

"Well I said I wanted to fly with Harry and he said I couldn't and I asked really nicely and then I may have got a bit upset and I threw my robes at him and then he tore them," she said in a defeated voice. She'd found that it was good to admit that she had been at fault, too, but not as much as whomever she was incriminating. "I told him he was being nasty but he just took and hid my broom and then ran outside," she sniffled. She saw her uncle's face harden.

"It's all right sweetheart, hush." He enveloped the girl in a warm hug, suppressing the anger he felt towards his godson. He would be very sorry indeed once he found him. "Why don't you head back to your room? I'll talk to Harry and then we'll have a nice dinner." _At least two of us._ She nodded, sniffled, and headed back towards the stairs. Straightening up, Sirius strode out of the room and towards the back door. Opening it, he saw his godson flying around the garden, zooming after birds. _The nerve of that boy._

"Harry James!" Harry pulled his broom to a halt at the sound of his godfather's irate voice. _Full name? _He racked his brain, trying to think what he might have done to have incurred the man's wrath, but could think of nothing. Confused, he turned his broom and flew over to the house, knowing that even though Sirius hadn't asked him over, that was exactly what he was expected to do. "My study. Now." His eyebrows shooting up under his fringe, Harry sidled past the man and did as he was told without question. He left his broom outside the study, as Sirius didn't like them inside, and walked into the room. His godfather followed closely behind, closing the door after him. "Would you mind telling me why Ainslee is crying upstairs?" Harry looked surprised.

"What?" With no warning, Sirius' hand snaked around and smacked Harry across the rear.

"I told you _not_ to 'what' me. Now _explain_ your behaviour towards your sister." Harry was completely confused, not to mention embarrassed: he tried to force the heat out of his face.

"I haven't done anything to her!" he complained.

"Do _not_ lie to me," Sirius warned him in a low voice. Taking a loose hold of the boy's chin, he tilted his head back. "I understand that it may be strange for you sometimes, with her here, but I thought we had got past this. I will not have you bullying her, regardless of your feelings. Am I making myself perfectly clear?" Harry stared at his godfather, unsure of what to say. "_Am I making myself clear_?"

"But I haven't done anything!" Harry exclaimed, not prepared to accept a reprimand for something he had not done. Sirius' hand left his chin only to whack him across his backside again.

"I cannot believe the way you are behaving. You are telling me you've forgotten tearing her robes and hiding her broom? Hmm?" Harry stared at him in complete bewilderment. At this point, Sirius realised that Harry was acting strangely. While his godson was certainly mischievous, he always admitted when he was in the wrong, particularly if Sirius had had time to tell him off. This complete confusion did not appear characteristic in the least.

"Sirius, I promise I didn't!" he cried, his eyes tearing up, his face flushed. _Distress_. Battling with himself, Sirius had to decide what to do. Pointing at the chair, he said "Sit" to the boy, who immediately complied.

"I will be back in a moment." Still confused, he left the room and headed up the stairs, two steps at a time. Stopping outside Ainslee's room, he opened the door without knocking. She was sitting on her bed, a little smile on her face as she watched a small plastic fairy Sirius had bewitched dance on the duvet.

"My study. Now," he said for the second time in less than ten minutes. She looked up, her mouth slightly agape.

"What's ha—"

"_Now_." Grabbing hold of the fairy, she jumped off her bed and hurried down the stairs, into the office. Seeing Harry there, she felt her heart sink. She supposed it made sense Sirius would figure it out, but she hadn't counted on it being quite this soon. Sirius entered after her.

"Now perhaps we can sort this out. Harry, did you tell Ainslee she couldn't come flying with you?"

"No! She said she didn't want to! She doesn't like flying!" Sirius looked at his niece, who shifted slightly beneath his stern gaze.

"And did you or did you not hide her broom?"

"I haven't seen her broom!"

"He hid it under his bed!" Ainslee exclaimed. With a flick of his wand, Sirius had her broom zooming into the study.

"Now I don't know where this came from, but even if it did come from Harry's room, he did not put it there." He fixed his eyes on Ainslee. "Harry go to your room."

"But Sirius—"

"Please. I'll be up in a moment." The shift in his vocabulary told Harry that Sirius was not angry with him anymore. _Thank Merlin_. Glaring at Ainslee, he walked past her and ran up the stairs.

"I don't know what possessed you to do this, Ainslee, but I am very disappointed in you." For some reason, these words hurt more coming from Sirius than they ever had from her mother or nannies. "I never thought you would do something like frame your brother for something he had not done. And for no apparent reason." She shifted, and Sirius was unsure of what to do with her. It was clear that his brother had passed on certain qualities to his daughter, and he only hoped that he could raise her out of them. _Or perhaps she's simply a Slytherin at heart_, he thought heavily. "Well?"

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I just… I dunno." Eyeing her up and down, Sirius made a decision. He took her arm, turned her to the side, and smacked her twice across the rear. She gasped in surprise.

"'I dunno' doesn't cut it young lady. Now I never want to see you doing something like this again, do you understand? _Never_."

"I understand," she whispered, her bottom lip wobbling. He gave her another hug as she sniffled, for real this time, into the shoulder of his shirt.

"I punished Harry for something he had not done. Do you understand that that was not simply horrid to him, but to me as well?" Sirius hated himself for increasing her guilt, but he reasoned that it may be the only way he could get through to her. She only sniffled in response. "Go stand in the corner. I need to speak with Harry." She nodded and walked away from him. "Ainslee?"

"Yes?" she said, turning around and looking at him through wet lashes.

"I love you." She smiled a watery smile.

"I love you too." Smiling weakly, he gave her a small wink, before going to Harry's room. The boy was lying on his back on his bed, staring at the ceiling. When Sirius entered, he sat up.

"Harry I am so sorry," he said seriously, sitting down beside the boy.

"It's all right…"

"No it isn't. You had done nothing wrong. _Nothing_. Do you hear me?" Harry nodded, and Sirius placed an arm around his shoulders, kissing the top of his head. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay Sirius, really," Harry said, unsure of how to deal with this side of his godfather. The man sighed, resting his chin on the top of Harry's messy black hair.

"It will never happen again. All right?" Harry merely nodded. They sat in silence for a few moment, the clock on Harry's bedside table ticking away.

"The robes ripped when she was chasing you, didn't they?" Although he couldn't see Harry's face, Sirius knew he was blushing.

"Yeah…"

"Hmm…"

"I'm sorry."

"I know you are." Harry couldn't bear the silence.

"We can buy new ones with my money," he offered. "But it _was_ Ainslee who pulled at them," he added, not wont to get himself in even more trouble in one day.

"Oi," Sirius rebuked with a smile, "no tale-telling. And we won't be buying new ones at all; I can mend those easily enough." He kissed the boy's head again, standing up. "Just no more running in the house." Harry grimaced.

"All right."

* * *

><p>"Oh Padfoot for heaven's sake," Remus said with a sigh, pouring Sirius a glass of Firewhiskey. The man was sitting in an armchair in the parlour, his elbows on his knees, his face in his hands. "You really are acting quite out of proportion." Sirius looked up at his best friend.<p>

"I punished him and he hadn't done _anything_, Remus." His eyes were full of despair, a feeling he had done well to hide in front of his children during the day.

"And you apologised to him. Quite profusely as I've understood it." His words seemed not to reach Sirius, and so he sat down in the chair opposite him. "Sirius." After a moment, the man looked up. "Harry does not blame you. And you are not the first parent to make a mistake. It happens. Particularly when there's more than one child involved," he added. "The important thing is that you realised quickly, and punished Ainslee for it. I think the _most_ important thing here is that they both understand the rules and boundaries, and that there is no confusion about who was in the wrong."

"I was in the wrong," Sirius groaned. "I'm complete pants at this." Remus rolled his eyes at his friend's dramatics.

"Oh don't be so self-pitying," he said, shaking his head. "You're doing a splendid job. The fact that you could tell by Harry's body language alone that he wasn't lying is a testament to that." He smiled at Sirius' forlorn eyes. "Don't worry. Ainslee has only been here for a couple of weeks. This should probably help her settle in. She knows you now."

"Knows I'm a total prat." Tired of Sirius' moaning, Remus stood.

"Well if you're going to continue feeling bad for yourself I'll head up to bed." Sirius opened his eyes and looked at Remus for a while. As Remus raised an eyebrow, a small smile spread across Sirius' face. He shook his head.

"I'm sorry."

"Thank you," Remus said, sitting down again and picking up his own glass. "Thought you were going to make me leave this perfectly good glass of whiskey."

"Wouldn't dream of it." They both chuckled.

"So what's the plan for tomorrow?" Remus asked after a moment. Sirius sighed.

"To keep them both safe. From each other, it seems."


	6. Chapter 6

Guess who's here?

I am perhaps very optimistic in thinking that there are still readers out there, but if there are: Hello! I cannot believe how long it has been since I updated anything on here. My writing, both fanfiction and my own prose, has been entirely drowned by other commitments, followed by a _gigantic_ writer's block. Where I used to write at least a few thousand words a week, this is the first time I've written anything in almost a year. Anyway, I do hope any remaining readers will forgive me for this. I do hope to finish both this and LHG. It might take time, but you know... Life.

I hope the chapter is okay! It's longer than my usual, in an attempt to redeem myself. Not very action-packed, but there's potential in here, and I hope you're interested to see what happens next.

Please do review, whether you're an old reader or a new one; all your words make my day.

Much love from me, and I hope you enjoy!

Ivy

* * *

><p>"For <em>heaven's<em> sake…" Sirius muttered quietly to himself as he started up the stairs. It was half past nine on a bright and mild Tuesday morning, and he had yet to see or hear any signs of life from either of his troublemakers. Years of only very light sleep had left him with the habit of waking up early, perhaps also so as to try and make up some of the time he had lost while in prison. For the most part, Sirius had surprised himself by not feeling particularly bitter when thinking back on the decade he'd spent in Azkaban. He had indeed lost better part of what many considered a person's most defining moments, spending all of his twenties in that wretched place. But when he thought about the Ministry, about the people who had put him there, even about Peter, he found that all he felt was a deep sadness, a disappointment in the Ministry, and in those he thought could and would protect and love him. If anything, the biggest loss had been not being able to raise Harry himself; the years he had spent with _the Muggles_ had clearly affected Harry greatly, and to Sirius' mind it was their fault that the boy was so often timid and hesitant, rather than an exuberant and easy-going boy that many would expect of someone of his age. He was determined to do all in his power to allow Harry to fully enjoy and experience the last years of hid childhood, and to raise Ainslee alongside him. That was, if they ever decided to get out of bed.

"Ainslee! Harry! Come on, get up now," he called as he got to the top of the stairs, knocking on both their doors. "This isn't a hotel, if you want breakfast you need to get out here right now," he added, knowing that they knew he was joking, but also fully appreciating their horror at the however-slight possibility of missing a meal. After some muttering and shuffling, the door to his godson's room cracked open and the boy emerged, yawning and rubbing his eyes, almost tripping over his pyjama trousers.

"Morning," he said groggily, blinking a few times through his glasses to try and focus his eyes. Sirius snorted in amusement.

"Glad you decided to join me," he quipped with a grin, squeezing the boy's neck as he passed, heading for the loo. "Put some toast on please, I need to get this one," he added, pointing to his sister's room and rolling his eyes. Harry merely nodded his assent, and Sirius did not remark upon it, as the boy was rarely particularly verbal before breakfast. Sirius opened the door to his niece's room and stifled a laugh as he entered. The girl was almost on the floor, her head and left arm hanging precariously close to the carpet, her legs sprawled across to the other side as the snoozed on peacefully. A textbook on charms lay discarded in the floor, half open, its pages creased. Sirius shook his head, bemused, as he crossed the room and picked the book up. He placed it on the small desk, trying to smooth out the pages and dust off the cover, before returning to the bed. In one swift movement he scooped the girl up and sat her in his lap. She squirmed and muttered something before opening her eyes, slightly dazed, eventually meeting her uncle's soft eyes.

"Oh," she said, letting her head fall into the crook of his neck. "Wanna sleep," she murmured, covering her face with her hands. Sirius rolled his eyes again.

"Half the day has almost passed," he said in a mock dramatic voice. "I think it's time this little witch got up," he continued, in a similar tone, but trying still to make clear that it wasn't really a request. The girl sighed, but didn't move. "Here I was, thinking we could go to Diagon Alley today to buy your books… I suppose—" He couldn't finish before she stood quickly, almost falling over as blood rushed to her head, and then stumbling towards the wardrobe.

"Okay, okay," she said, pulling a dress out.

"Excellent," Sirius laughed, touching her head gently. "Come down in a few minutes please, we'll have breakfast and then go. And don't fall back asleep!" Watching his niece giggle as she picked up her hairbrush, Sirius left the room and headed back downstairs to the kitchen.

Harry was sitting at the kitchen table, yawning widely, staring into space. Sirius snapped his fingers in front of his face, causing him to start.

"Oi, how's that toast coming?"

"Oh. Right. I sort of, you know…"

"Forgot?"

"That's the one," Harry admitted, grinning sheepishly. Sirius shook his head.

"Can't trust the staff in this place…"

"Oi!"

"Don't 'oi' me, lad. Get up off your bum and help me instead." Harry snorted as he stood. He was about to start bringing out cutlery, crockery, glasses, butter, jam and what have you, when he wondered if he couldn't do it by magic. It was an entirely unwelcome thought, but once it had settled in his head, he couldn't seem to get it out. He had seen Sirius use summoning charms loads of times, and although he had yet to learn it in school, it hadn't looked particularly difficult. His spellwork was average, he supposed, but it wouldn't hurt to try. As Sirius was slicing bread, Harry sidled over to the table in the hall where he had been told to keep his wand – "In plain sight, please, lest I find you casting all sorts of ridiculous spells as soon as I turn my back," Sirius had said when they first arrived, and Harry had reluctantly done as he was told; he supposed that should have been warning enough, but weeks on end without magic was getting to Harry, especially now that he was living in a magical household and didn't have to hide the fact that he was a wizard to please somebody. Gently, he gripped the handle of the wand. Pointing it carefully in the direction of the shelved of plates, he took a deep breath and whispered "_Accio_ plates". Nothing happened. Huffing a bit with disappointment, he shook his head. Sirius was whistling. With renewed vigour, he raised his wand again. "_Accio_ plates," he chanted again. Rather than causing the plates to come soaring victoriously through the air, the incantation somehow bounced off the shelf and hit Ainslee just as she was entering the room. She shrieked as a puff of smoke surrounded her face; when it cleared, Harry couldn't help but choke up with contained mirth. All the hair on his sister's head had disappeared, so she suddenly looked like an overgrown baby.

The commotion had broken Sirius out of his daydream and he turned around, almost dropping the frying pan he was holding when he saw his niece's appearance and the reddening face of his godson, wand in hand.

"Just _what_ is going on here?" he demanded as he put the pan down and walked over to Ainslee, crouching down in front of her to inspect the damage. He turned a glare on Harry, who looked sheepishly from his godfather to his right hand, clenching his holly. "Is that your wand?" Sirius asked, not moving away from his sniffling girl, who had turned to glare menacingly at the older boy.

"Err…"

"That isn't an answer." Harry huffed, knowing he was in trouble, but not willing to admit just so easily.

"Can't you see it's my wand?" he muttered, hoping against hope that his godfather hadn't heard him. Which, of course, he had.

"Excuse me?" Sirius answered in a low, foreboding voice.

"Idiot," Ainslee muttered, somewhat uncharacteristically. Sirius faltered for a moment, for some reason overwhelmed with trying to deal with both of them at once.

"Oh shut it, you—"

"_Hush_," Sirius demanded, shaking his head at Harry, furrowing his brow. When Harry looked away, embarrassed, Sirius turned back to Ainslee. "Go to your room please. I'll come up in a moment and sort you out." Ainslee nodded slightly, sticking her tongue out at Harry before turning towards the staircase. Sirius' hand snaked out quickly, swatting her lightly; she yelped with surprise, and turned accusing eyes on her uncle. "Watch it, young lady," Sirius warned, before nodding his head for her to go on. She huffed, and ran up the stairs.

In the meantime, Harry had replaced his wand on the table, and stood nervously clenching ad unclenching his hands, trying to figure out how he had come to the conclusion that trying a _whole new spell at home where he was not allowed to do magic_ was a good idea. Scuffing his toes against the doorframe, he stood silently, feeling his godfather's eyes on him as he stood up.

"Would you please explain to me what just happened," Sirius requested, loosely carding his fingers through his hair before crossing his arms loosely across his chest. Harry sighed slightly but didn't move.

"Well I… I was just… Like curious," was the incoherent response Sirius received. He raised an eyebrow.

"Why don't you try that again, in full sentences please." When Harry didn't answer immediately, he pointed at the boy's chest, adding "and stalling isn't going to work; I expect an answer." Harry sighed again, and looked up at his godfather, biting his lip in an attempt at looking innocent, or at the very least apologetic.

"I just wanted to see if I could do it with magic," Harry said quietly.

"Do what?"

"You know," Harry answered, waving his vaguely, "get stuff." Sirius frowned in confusion for a moment, before realising that Harry was referring to the summoning charm.

"You were trying to summon our breakfast things because you were too lazy to get up and fetch them?" he enquired with both brows raised. Harry shook his head in disagreement.

"No, I wanted to see if I could do it," he insisted, as if this motivation would justify his breaking wizarding law. Sirius did not think it did.

"You are very well aware of the fact that I do not want you playing with your wand, not to mention the fact that _the Ministry_ has deemed it pertinent to stop children from performing magic outside of Hogwarts." Harry looked put out at being called a child, but Sirius paid him no mind. "Not only that, but you decided to try an entirely new spell, indoors? What if Ainslee had been seriously hurt?" he demanded in a stern voice, frowning ever so slightly as he tried to stop himself from getting angry. It was not so much the actual misdeed that was angering him; he had not expected Harry to be able to go the entire summer without once succumbing to the lure of forbidden magic. It was rather his insistence that he wanted to see if he could do it, particularly when it was something as rudimentary as a summoning charm.

"I know," was Harry equally quiet response as he ducked his head and nudged the doorframe again. "I'm sorry," he added a moment later, realising that his godfather would expect as much; it wasn't a lie though, he really was sorry he had ended up jinxing Ainslee, even though it _was_ rather funny.

"Casting spells can be dangerous, Harry James," Sirius scolded. "There is a reason that you are closely supervised in class, that you must not cast spells in the halls in school, and why the Ministry does not allow for it. You are still young, and you do not have complete control of your magic yet. I told you not to touch your wand, we had an agreement. You've disappointed me, Harry. I thought I could trust you." Harry felt like he's been kicked in the stomach, his eyes burning as he blinked fast, trying to stop the tears that were threatening at Sirius' stern words.

Sirius for his part caught the boy's lower lip wobble, and his blinking. It tugged at his heartstrings, but it did not win over his disappointment with Harry's behaviour. "I'm sorry," Harry whispered, still not looking at his godfather. Sirius placed a finger under his chin and coaxed the boy's eyes up.

"You need to apologise to Ainslee too," he said softly. "And you will stay home when we go to Diagon Alley today." Harry's face fell further. "I want you to stay in your room and think very closely about this, Harry. You can do the same tomorrow." A single tear escaped Harry's right eye, and he brushed it off quickly.

"Yes sir," he said. Sirius' face softened and he pulled his godson into a hug, which Harry gladly accepted.

"Go up and apologise to your sister, then straight to your room. I'll bring you up some breakfast." Harry nodded and turned away from the kitchen, jogging up the stairs, his ears burning with embarrassment.

Sirius allowed himself to relax as Harry disappeared. He ran a hand down his face, shook his head, before starting a flame on the stove with a flick of his wrist. _First breakfast, then Ainslee, then Remus,_ he thought to himself.

* * *

><p>Despite Sirius' insistent invitations, Remus had opted to stay in the Leaky Cauldron until he found permanent residence. With Ainslee coming to live with his best friend, he had thought it would make things much easier if Sirius was given time to properly settle in with both his young charges. He had only met Ainslee once, and liked her well enough, although he could sense a mischievous streak in her as she smiled smugly at her adoptive brother. <em>Sirius will have a handful there<em>, he thought with amusement. When Sirius knocked on his door a bright Tuesday morning, he was therefore not surprised.

"Padfoot old friend," he smiled, stepping aside to let Sirius enter the room.

"Mooney, how are you holding up here?" he replied, pursing his lips with lingering disapproval of Remus' declining to stay with him.

"Just fine, Sirius, don't fret," Remus said somewhat sternly.

"I do not _fret_. I just don't see why you can't—"

"I've already explained this to you, Padfoot," Lupin interrupted.

"Yes, yes," Sirius waved his hand at his friend as he sat down in the chair, Remus leaning casually against the door.

"How can I help you?" he asked, knowing by the look on Sirius' face that something was wrong.

"Could you babysit for a few hours today?" Remus raised an eyebrow.

"Where are you off to?"

"I need to take Ainslee in and buy her schoolbooks; she insists she can use Harry's old ones but I don't want her to feel like she only ever gets his old things. I know how much she's looking forward to going to Hogwarts," he added, smiling fondly. "I also intend on getting her a wand, though she isn't aware of this yet."

"Why isn't Harry going?" Remus enquired.

"Harry is grounded," Sirius replied with a sigh and a grimace.

"May I ask why?" Remus wasn't particularly surprised; from what Sirius had told him, there were definitely parts of James in the boy, although admittedly to a much lesser extent.

"He tried his hands at a summoning charm, which backfired into Ainslee's face and caused all her hair to disappear." Sirius shook his head. "I sorted it out relatively easily, but it's the principle of the thing." Lupin snorted.

"Indeed. How did he get to his wand?" Sirius huffed.

"We keep our wands on a table in the hall," he replied. "I didn't want Harry to feel as though I was taking it away from him, but rather that we had an understanding…"

"I see that worked well."

"Stick a sock in it," Sirius grumbled. "It's been fine thus far. Anyway, Harry is staying in his room for a couple of days, but I'd like someone to be there anyway."

"Yes he should not be alone," Remus agreed. "That's fine, I'll come over."

"Thanks mate," Sirius smiled, clapping his friend on the back as they headed to the Floo.

* * *

><p>"Ainslee I'm sorry!" Harry repeated.<p>

"You already said that!" came the muffled response through the door. "And it's only 'cos Sirius said you have to!"

"No it is not! I _am_ sorry! It was silly and I won't do it again. Please let me in."

"No, I won't!" she shouted back.

"Harry?" Harry felt his heart beat faster as he heard his godfather returning. He tried creeping back towards his room, but got eye contact with his godfather as he walked up the stairs, Remus standing in the hall below. Harry blushed profusely.

"Sirius I was just—"

"I'm certain I asked you to stay in your room," he interrupted, raising an eyebrow as he climbed the last few steps. "Come on," he said, ushering Harry back to his room with a prodding smack to his trouser seat.

"I just wanted to apologise to Ainslee again," Harry mumbled as he plonked down on his bed, embarrassed at being smacked in front of Remus, who had remained downstairs.

"I see."

"I'm sorry."

"You already apologised to your sister. It is sweet of you to be concerned about your relationship, Harry, but when I tell you to do something I expect you to do as you're told. All right?" Harry nodded quickly, and Sirius squeezed his neck. "I am taking Ainslee to Diagon Alley now. Remus will be downstairs in case you need anything; he might even come up here and have a chat."

"Can't I sit with him downstairs?" Harry pleaded, dreading spending so much time by himself in his room. Sirius smiled softly.

"No I think you need to stay up here."

"I don't like being in my room…"

"I know you don't, but I need you to think about this morning, and I need you to understand that it was wrong."

"But Sirius I _do_ under—"

"Nonetheless," Sirius cut him off again, "I want you to remain in here. Do you understand me, hmm?"

"Yes sir," Harry replied dejectedly.

"Good boy." Sirius kissed the top of Harry's head before standing up. "I'll see you this afternoon, kiddo." Sirius saw the boy throw himself backwards onto the bed before he left the room, suppressing a chuckle, and closing the door behind him. "Ainslee! Come on, let's go!"

* * *

><p>"Sirius I really don't need new books," Ainslee said for the fifteenth time as they waited outside Flourish &amp; Blotts, the shop being full to the brim with Hogwarts students.<p>

"And I've told _you_ a hundred times that I want you to have new books," Sirius answered, as he had on so many occasions already. He had hoped that the girl would have given up her resistance by now, and perhaps be brought around by the fact that the books were for Hogwarts, a place she had been longing to go to for quite some time already. Ainslee sighed and allowed Sirius to take her by the hand and lead her into the shop when a couple of families exited, excusing themselves every second as they squeezed past the growing crowd.

"Bloody hell," Sirius muttered, trying to get to the first year section.

"_Sirius_," Ainslee whispered, aghast. "That's a bad word!" Sirius tried not to roll his eyes. _Scolded by an eleven year old, that's a record, I'm sure._

"Yes indeed it is, you're right," he conceded, battling with a giant-like man who had his arms ladled with about twelve potions books. "You should never say it," he added, feeling the need to come with some sort of parental guidance.

"I know," the girl huffed, trying to pull her hand away from her uncle.

"No stay here please," he chided, pulling her closer to him and placing his hands on her shoulders. "There's a lot of people here today, I don't want you to get trampled." Once up the stairs, Sirius found it much easier to grab all the books Ainslee would need. He was a bit disappointed that they hadn't been able to really spend any time in the cosy bookshop, but as it was, he could not wait to get away from the stifling environment. Paying for the books, he shrunk them and stuck them inside his robes, before placing his hands under his niece's arms, hoisting her up onto his hip, and carrying her outside.

"_Uncle Sirius_", Ainslee hissed, clenching his robes. "I can walk!"

"I know dear, but it's easier this way." They snaked their way through the crowd, and eventually reached the street outside, pushing through the remainder of the queue. Once they were safe from the book-hungry pack, Sirius set his niece on her feet. "See?" he smirked. Ainslee rolled her eyes, a habit she had picked up from Harry, to Sirius' dismay, but smiled shyly nonetheless.

"Are we going home now?" she asked. Sirius shook his head, mirth sparkling in his dark eyes.

"No we've got another errand," he replied, taking her by the hand. "Come along." As they turned, they almost walked straight into another group of wizards. "I'm terribly sorry," Sirius exclaimed, before catching the eye of Lucius Malfoy.

"Hardly befitting of a wizard of your stature, Mr Black?" Lucius sneered. Narcissa's facial expression remained neutral as she beheld her cousin, her right hand clamped firmly onto her son's shoulder.

"Mr Malfoy," Sirius answered in a clipped tone, his hand moving to Ainslee's neck, pulling her closer to him; her face was half hidden in his robes as she peeked around to look at the severe looking family. She caught Draco's eye, and he smirked in her direction, giving her a rude hand gesture. Ainslee wasn't sure what it meant, but she had seen Harry do the same to one of the boys at the playground by their house the other day. She stuck her tongue out to him. "I do apologise."

"Who is the girl?" Lucius continued, ignoring Sirius' apology, and pinning his gaze on Ainslee, who gripped hold of the silky fabric of Sirius' robes in absence of one of his hands. Sirius hesitated for a moment, uncertain as to whether he wanted to make his niece's existence public, but decided he might as well; enough people had seen him with the girl, stories would have started circulating already he had no doubt.

"This is Ainslee Black. My niece," he added, raising an eyebrow at Narcissa, who had suddenly snapped to attention, looking strangely at Ainslee.

"Your… niece," Lucius repeated venomously. "Has she no manners?" Sirius resisted the urge to punch the man straight in the face. Gently, he pushed Ainslee forward.

"Ainslee, this is Mr Lucius Malfoy, and his wife Narcissa, and their son Draco. Draco is in Harry's year at Hogwarts." Ainslee knew exactly who Draco was. "Say hello please."

"Hello Mr Malfoy," she said quietly, choosing not to address the other two Malfoys.

"Miss Black." She grabbed Sirius' hand.

"If you don't mind, we must be going," Sirius started, but was stopped by Narcissa taking a step forward and crouching down in front of Ainslee, who flinched involuntarily.

"Ainslee," she said quietly. The girl met her eyes. "Hello dear." Ainslee wasn't sure what to make of Narcissa, but she had been brought up, ever since she was small, to answer when she was addressed.

"Hello Mrs Malfoy," she answered politely. Narcissa smiled, and Sirius thought he might choke.

"We really must be off," Sirius insisted. Narcissa stood, and frowned.

"Cousin. How is it you have a niece?"

"It's rather simple, Narcissa. You see when a man loves—"

"Don't mock my wife," Lucius sneered.

"But she is so easy to mock," Sirius said calmly. "She is Regulus' daughter. Her mother died." He rubbed Ainslee's back as he was speaking, hoping she would not be upset by his blunt description of her situation.

"Father why does Black adopt all the orphans?" Contrary to most people's belief of the Malfoys, Lucius was not fond of anything that did not _appear_ proper.

"If you'll excuse us…" Sirius said, just as Lucius grabbed hold of his son's ear to drag him along; Draco yelped as he stumbled along, followed by his mother, who stole a few more glances at Sirius and Ainslee before they disappeared around a corner. Ainslee snorted with laughter, but stopped quickly when she saw that Sirius what not the least bit amused. They continued walking in silence, and Sirius lamented the fact that their pleasant and exciting trip had gone sour over the bloody Malfoys.

"Sirius why did Mrs Malfoy act all weird?" Ainslee asked as they walked.

"I don't know quite, sweetheart," Sirius answered. It was the truth; in fact, it was a question that he, too, had been pondering, and he decided to bring it up with Remus that same evening.

"Where are we going?" Sirius smiled softly.

"Ollivanders," he replied without hesitation. The girl's eyes grew wide.

"Really? I can have a wand?"

"Really."

"Oh thank you, thank you, _thank you_!" she shouted with glee, throwing her arms around Sirius' waist.

"You need a wand for school, you nutter," Sirius laughed as he tousled her hair. "Come along."

They entered the shop with a _pling_ of the door.

* * *

><p>Harry kicked his door again. He could not <em>believe<em> how bored he was. Sirius and Ainslee had been away for two hours, and so far Remus had only come up once to let him know he was there, and to bring him some lunch. They had talked for a few minutes before Remus had withdrawn, looking slightly sad, but commenting that Sirius might not want him up there entertaining 'the prisoner'. His attempt at lightening the mood had not helped particularly, and Harry was growing irritated with boredom. There was _nothing_ to do. _You could to homework_. Yeah, fat chance. _Or just read something_. Why read if not for school? _One-man chess perhaps_. Either way I'd lose. _Either way you'd _win. Lose.

Harry kicked the door again, and then heard steps coming up the stairs. He sat back down on his bed as the door opened and Remus walked in; he looked mildly annoyed.

"I realise you are bored Harry, but crashing about in your room will do nothing to improve the situation."

"I'm not crashing…"

"You are hitting or kicking something and it will stop now. Do you hear me?" Harry sighed and threw himself back on the bed.

"Yes sir, I hear you." Remus' face softened as he walked over to the bed and tapped Harry's leg.

"Sirius will be back soon, I'm sure you can have dinner downstairs with him." Harry wasn't convinced but nodded all the same. Remus smiled and patted his knee as he headed towards the door. As he did so, they both heard the Floo _whoosh_ to life. Harry almost flew up and started for the door. Before even making it two steps out, however, he was grabbed by the collar by Remus. "I think not, young man," he chided gently, guiding Harry back to his room. "Your godfather already reminded you once about minding him. I wouldn't push it."

"I just want to say hi," Harry argued flatly, his ears burning at the realisation that Remus really had heard the exchange earlier in the day.

"I'm sure that Sirius will come up in a moment," he assured Harry. When the boy hopped up on his desk, Remus snorted, and left, leaving the door open. He headed down the stairs, to meet an exuberant eleven-year-old girl with a wand in hand.

"Look Remus!" she shouted, waving it about; lights were switching on and off hastily, the mirror in the hall became wobbly, flowers started growing everywhere.

"Easy there lass," he said, quickly pulling the wand from her hand and righting everything with his own wand.

"Hey that's _mine_!"

"Ainslee!" Sirius came through the hall, shaking his head in disapproval. "What did I tell you five minutes ago?" He crouched down in front of his niece, holding her arms. "Well?"

"I can't use my wand until I get to Hogwarts," she recited dutifully, and had the decency to look a _little_ bit ashamed of herself.

"Indeed. Up to your room with you, I'll fetch you for dinner."

"But my wand—"

"Will be kept safe by me until September," Sirius stated firmly, taking the aforementioned want from his friend's hand. "Run along, and don't go into Harry's, he's still being punished."

"Fine," Ainslee sighed, and trudged up the stairs. Sirius watched her go before turning to face his friend.

"These two will be the death of me," he remarked, though a smirk was spreading across his face as he beckoned Remus to follow him into the kitchen. "How was Harry?" he asked, filling the kettle and setting it to boil with a flick of his wrist.

"Just fine," Remus replied, busying himself with getting cups and tea out of their respective cupboards, brushing some old tea leaves off the strainers before placing them on the cups and filling the teapot with leaves. "He tried escaping when he heard you return, but I herded him back in," he continued with a chuckle.

"He's too adventurous," Sirius grinned as he leaned against the counter, crossing his arms as they waited for the water to boil. "I think it's probably the worst punishment imaginable for him."

"Indeed," Remus agreed good naturedly. "How was Diagon Alley?"

"Busy," Sirius yawned. "Not quite what I'd expected." He frowned suddenly, and his friend raised an eyebrow at him.

"Why so sombre? What happened?" Sirius sat quietly for a minute, trying to decide how best to approach the subject, and his strange feeling about the whole thing.

"We bumped into the Malfoys," he began, rubbing his chin absent-mindedly.

"Ah."

"Lucius was his usual self; I almost feel sorry for his boy…"

"A rare sign of compassion in Sirius Black," Remus commented dryly; Sirius gave him a glare, but did not respond.

"It's Narcissa that puzzled me." He frowned again, looking past Remus, and recalling the meeting from earlier that day.

"She's a bit of an enigma, that woman," Remus conceded, waiting for his friend to continue with the story, something that was clearly causing him some trouble. Sirius was usually rather vocal, and rarely had trouble expressing how he felt, which made the present situation all the more perplexing.

"Everything about her changed when she saw Ainslee. It was like she'd laid eyes on a long lost coveted treasure, or Merlin himself, or something of the like. I've never seen her quite so… Well, I've never seen her let down her guard so readily, especially not in public." When they were children, Sirius had seen quite a lot of Narcissa. She had always been a rather withdrawn girl, but very clearly a Black, and she had sneered disapprovingly along with the rest of them when Sirius had been sorted into Gryffindor.

"Did they know of her existence?" Sirius shook his head.

"Not before today, no. Needless to say they were suitably baffled," he added, feeling somewhat smug at having been able to put _that_ expression on Lucius' face.

"Has she any interest in Ainslee?" Remus continued, his brow, too, furrowing with thought. "I mean, from a family point of view," he clarified, having never been entirely familiar with the way the old, pure-blood families worked. To him, as to most others, the entire farce seemed rather outdated, particularly when so many of the more prominent families had chosen to place their allegiance with the Dark Lord. But Sirius shook his head slowly.

"She shouldn't. As far as I know Ainslee's mother was just a randomly chosen girl. And on Regulus' side, she is the daughter of a younger brother. My mother may have tried to stop my inheriting everything, but for all her Ministerial connections she was impressively ignorant as to the actual political procedure." He rubbed his chin again. "Her interest was almost… I don't know, motherly. If I hadn't known better I would swear she has never looked at her son with the same affection."

"Perhaps the desires a daughter," Remus suggested. Sirius contemplated this and gave a half shrug.

"Perhaps. But _still_," he insisted, "she has never shown such… human feelings before, again, _particularly_ not in public, and never in front of her husband." If there was one thing Sirius was grateful for, it was that his mother and father had never tried to force him into a marriage when he was young. God knows how _that_ would have turned out.

"I wish I could help you, dear friend, but I'm afraid I'm the worst person for this," Remus said eventually, smiling apologetically. "Perhaps Dumbledore…"

"Yes, perhaps…" They stood in silence, the tea long forgotten.


End file.
